bring up

verb

brought up; bringing up; brings up

transitive verb

1

: to bring (a person) to maturity through nurturing care and education

2

: to cause to stop suddenly

3

a

: to bring to attention : introduce

b

computers : to cause (something, such as a file or picture) to appear on a computer screen

… you can make any picture that it displays into wallpaper by right-clicking with the arrow over the art to bring up a box with a "Set as wallpaper" choice.

—Barry Popik

4

: vomit

intransitive verb

: to stop suddenly

Synonyms of bring up

• raise
• foster

Examples of bring up in a Sentence

it takes an immense commitment and a lot of love to bring up a child properly

I hate to bring this up, but we're running short of money.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, Gottlieb also brought up how many individuals who leave college coaching to become NBA coaches don't want to return to the college scene, because the NBA focuses more on basketball and less on all the other drama and noise. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026

Springsteen has long emphasized socially conscious music, which brings up another Minnesota connection. —ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026

This seems like a good time to bring up Pineda’s concerns, beginning with his opposition to an intermission. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2026

Officials expect thunderstorms to roll into portions of central and northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana bringing up to 60 mph winds and up to a half-dollar size hail. —Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for bring up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

bring up

verb

1

: to bring to maturity through care and education

bring up a child

2

: to bring to attention : introduce

I hate to keep bringing this up

Medical Definition

bring up

transitive verb

(ˈ)briŋ-ˈəp 

: vomit