v.
(past and past part. brought)
- carry or accompany to a place.
- cause to move or to come into existence.
- cause to be in a particular state or condition:
take an aspirin to bring down your temperature.
- cause someone to receive (money) as income or profit:
five novels brought him £150,000.
-
[usu. with neg.]
(bring oneself to do something)
force oneself to do something unpleasant.
- initiate (legal action).
Phrase
- bring the house down
make an audience laugh or applaud very enthusiastically. - bring it on
informal used to express confidence in meeting a challenge. - bring something to bear
exert influence or pressure. - bring something to pass
chiefly literary cause something to happen. - bring something to the table
see table.
Phrase verbal
- bring something about
- cause something to happen.
- cause a ship to head in a different direction.
- bring someone down
cause someone to lose power. - bring someone/thing forth
archaic give birth to someone or something. - bring something forward
- propose an idea for consideration.
-
[often as adj. brought forward]
(in bookkeeping) transfer a total sum from the bottom of one page to the top of the next.
- bring something off
achieve something successfully. - bring someone on
encourage someone who is learning to develop or improve. - bring something on
- cause something unpleasant to occur.
▸
(bring something on/upon)
be responsible for something unpleasant that happens to (someone).
- (of the weather) promote the growth of crops.
- bring someone out
encourage someone to feel more confident. - bring something out
- produce and launch a new product or publication.
- emphasize a feature.
- bring someone round
(or US around)
- restore someone to consciousness.
- persuade someone to agree to something.
- bring someone to
restore someone to consciousness. - bring something to
cause a boat to stop, especially by turning into the wind. - bring up
(chiefly of a ship) come to a stop. - bring someone up
look after a child until it is an adult. - bring something up
- vomit something.
- raise a matter for discussion or consideration.
Derivative
Etymology
OE bringan, of Gmc origin.