to carry, convey, conduct, or cause (someone or something) to come with, to, or toward the speaker: Bring the suitcase to my house. He brought his brother to my office.
2.
to cause to come to or toward oneself; attract: Her scream brought the police. He brought honor to his family by his heroism.
3.
to cause to occur or exist: The medication brought instant relief.
4.
to cause to come into a particular position, state, or effect: to bring the car to a stop.
5.
to cause to appear or occur in the mind; evoke or recall: The letter brought her memories of youth.
6.
to persuade, convince, compel, or induce: She couldn't bring herself to sell the painting.
7.
to sell for; fetch: These lamps will bring a good price.
8.
Law. to commence: to bring an action for damages.
—Verb phrases
9.
bring about, to accomplish; cause: Land reform brought about a great change in the lives of the common people.
10.
bring around or round,
a.
to convince of a belief or opinion; persuade: I think we can bring him around to agreeing with the plan.
b.
to restore to consciousness, as after a faint.
c.
to bring as a visitor: They brought around a new employee this morning.
11.
bring down,
a.
to injure, capture, or kill: He brought down several ducks on his last hunting trip.
b.
to lessen; reduce: I won't buy that lamp unless they bring down the price.
c.
Slang. to cause to be in low spirits; depress: The bad news brought him down.
12.
bring forth,
a.
to give birth to; deliver; bear: to bring forth a son.
b.
to give rise to; introduce: to bring forth a proposal for reducing costs.
13.
bring forward,
a.
to bring to view; show.
b.
to present for consideration; adduce: to bring forward an opinion.
14.
bring in,
a.
to yield, as profits or income: My part-time job doesn't bring in much, but I enjoy it.
b.
to present officially; submit: The jury brought in its verdict.
c.
to cause to operate or yield: They brought in a gusher on his property.
d.
to present for consideration, approval, etc.; introduce: She brought in six new members last month.
15.
bring off, to accomplish, carry out, or achieve (something): He brought off his speech with ease.
16.
bring on,
a.
to cause to happen or exist; bring about: This incident will surely bring on a crisis.
b.
to introduce; cause to appear: Bring on the clowns.
17.
bring out,
a.
to expose; reveal.
b.
to make noticeable or conspicuous in a contrast.
c.
to publish, as a book or play.
d.
to introduce officially into society: to bring out a debutante.
18.
bring to,
a.
to bring back to consciousness; revive.
b.
Nautical. to head (a vessel) close to or into the wind so as to halt.
19.
bring up,
a.
to care for during childhood; rear.
b.
to introduce or mention for attention, discussion, action, or consideration.
c.
to vomit.
d.
to stop or cause to stop quickly: to bring up a car at the curb.
e.
Nautical. (of a vessel) to cause to halt, as by lowering an anchor or running aground; fetch up.
[Origin: bef. 950; ME bringen, OE bringan; c. D brengen, G bringen, Goth briggan]
—Related forms
bringer, noun
—Synonyms 1. transport; lead, guide. Bring,fetch,take imply conveying or conducting in relation to the place where the speaker is. To bring is simply to convey or conduct: Bring it to me. I'm permitted to bring my dog here with me. It is the opposite of take, which means to convey or conduct away from the place where the speaker is: Bring it back here. Take it back there. Fetch means to go, get, and bring back: Fetch me that bottle.
To carry, convey, lead, or cause to go along to another place: brought enough money with me.
To carry as an attribute or contribution: You bring many years of experience to your new post.
To lead or force into a specified state, situation, or location: bring the water to a boil; brought the meeting to a close.
To persuade; induce: The defendant's testimony brought others to confess.
To get the attention of; attract: Smoke and flames brought the neighbors.
To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.
To introduce (a debutante) to society.
To cause to occur as a consequence or concomitant: Floods brought destruction to the valley. For many, the fall brings hayfever.
To cause to become apparent to the mind; recall: This music brings back memories.
Law To advance or set forth (charges) in a court.
To sell for: a portrait that brought a million dollars.
To cause to adopt an opinion or take a certain course of action.
To cause to recover consciousness.
To cause to fall or collapse.
To kill.
To give rise to; produce: plants bringing forth fruit.
To give birth to (young).
To present; produce: bring forward proof.
Accounting To carry (a sum) from one page or column to another.
Law To give or submit (a verdict) to a court.
To produce, yield, or earn (profits or income).
To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.
To introduce (a debutante) to society.
To produce or publish: bring out a new book.
To nurture and develop (a quality, for example) to best advantage: You bring out the best in me.
To cause to recover consciousness.
Nautical To cause (a ship) to turn into the wind or come to a stop.
To take care of and educate (a child); rear.
To introduce into discussion; mention.
To vomit.
To cause to come to a sudden stop.
Phrasal Verb(s): bring around/round
To cause to adopt an opinion or take a certain course of action.
To cause to recover consciousness.
bring down
To cause to fall or collapse.
To kill.
bring forth
To give rise to; produce: plants bringing forth fruit.
To give birth to (young).
bring forward
To present; produce: bring forward proof.
Accounting To carry (a sum) from one page or column to another.
bring in
Law To give or submit (a verdict) to a court.
To produce, yield, or earn (profits or income).
bring off
To accomplish: bring off a successful advertising campaign. bring on
To cause to appear: brought on the dessert. bring out
To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.
To introduce (a debutante) to society.
To produce or publish: bring out a new book.
To nurture and develop (a quality, for example) to best advantage: You bring out the best in me.
bring to
To cause to recover consciousness.
Nautical To cause (a ship) to turn into the wind or come to a stop.
bring up
To take care of and educate (a child); rear.
To introduce into discussion; mention.
To vomit.
To cause to come to a sudden stop.
Idiom(s):
bring down the house
To win overwhelming approval from an audience.
Idiom(s):
bring home
To make perfectly clear: a lecture that brought home several important points.
Idiom(s):
bring home the bacon
To earn a living, especially for a family.
To achieve desired results; have success.
Idiom(s):
bring to bear
To exert; apply: bring pressure to bear on the student's parents.
To put (something) to good use: "All of one's faculties are brought to bear in an effort to become fully incorporated into the landscape"(Barry Lopez).
Idiom(s):
bring to light
To reveal or disclose: brought the real facts to light.
Idiom(s):
bring to mind
To cause to be remembered: Thoughts of fishing brought to mind our youth.
Idiom(s):
bring to (one's) knees
To reduce to a position of subservience or submission.
Idiom(s):
bring to terms
To force (another) to agree.
Idiom(s):
bring up the rear
To be the last in a line or sequence.
[Middle English bringen, from Old English bringan; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
bring'er n.
Usage Note: In most dialects of American English bring is used to denote motion toward the place of speaking or the place from which the action is regarded: Bring it over here. The prime minister brought a large retinue to Washington with her.Take is used to denote motion away from such a place: Take it over there. The President will take several advisers with him when he goes to Moscow. When the relevant point of focus is not the place of speaking itself, the difference obviously depends on the context. We can say either The labor leaders brought or took their requests to the mayor's office, depending on whether we want to describe things from the point of view of the labor leaders or the mayor. Perhaps for this reason, the distinction between bring and take has been blurred in some areas; a parent may say of a child, for example, She always takes a pile of books home with her from school. This usage may sound curious to those who are accustomed to observe the distinction more strictly, but it bears no particular stigma of incorrectness or illiteracy. · The form brung is common in colloquial use in many areas, even among educated speakers, but it is not standard in formal writing.
O.E. bringan (p.t. brohte, pp. broht), from P.Gmc. *brenganan (cf. O.Fris. brenga; M.Du. brenghen; O.H.G. bringan; Goth. briggan, p.t. brohte, pp. broht); no exact cognates outside Gmc., but it appears to be from PIE base *bhrengk-, compound based on root *bher- "to carry" (cf. L. ferre; see infer). The tendency to conjugate this as a strong verb on the model of sing, drink, etc., is ancient: O.E. also had a rare strong pp. form, brungen, corresponding to modern colloquial brung.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere; "Bring me the box from the other room"; "Take these letters to the boss"; "This brings me to the main point"
2.
cause to come into a particular state or condition; "Long hard years of on the job training had brought them to their competence"; "bring water to the boiling point"
3.
cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"
4.
go or come after and bring or take back; "Get me those books over there, please"; "Could you bring the wine?"; "The dog fetched the hat" [ant: bear away]
5.
bring into a different state; "this may land you in jail"
6.
be accompanied by; "Can I bring my cousin to the dinner?"
7.
advance or set forth in court; "bring charges", "institute proceedings" [syn: institute]
8.
bestow a quality on; "Her presence lends a certain cachet to the company"; "The music added a lot to the play"; "She brings a special atmosphere to our meetings"; "This adds a light note to the program" [syn: lend]
9.
be sold for a certain price; "The painting brought $10,000"; "The old print fetched a high price at the auction" [syn: fetch]
10.
attract the attention of; "The noise and the screaming brought the curious"
11.
induce or persuade; "The confession of one of the accused brought the others to admit to the crime as well"
Bring\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brought; p. pr. & vb. n. Bringing.] [OE. bringen, AS. bringan; akin to OS. brengian, D. brengen, Fries. brenga, OHG. bringan, G. bringen, Goth. briggan.]1. To convey to the place where the speaker is or is to be; to bear from a more distant to a nearer place; to fetch. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread. --1 Kings xvii. 11. To France shall we convey you safe, And bring you back. --Shak. 2. To cause the accession or obtaining of; to procure; to make to come; to produce; to draw to. There is nothing will bring you more honor . . . than to do what right in justice you may. --Bacon. 3. To convey; to move; to carry or conduct. In distillation, the water . . . brings over with it some part of the oil of vitriol. --Sir I. Newton. 4. To persuade; to induce; to draw; to lead; to guide. It seems so preposterous a thing . . . that they do not easily bring themselves to it. --Locke. The nature of the things . . . would not suffer him to think otherwise, how, or whensoever, he is brought to reflect on them. --Locke. 5. To produce in exchange; to sell for; to fetch; as, what does coal bring per ton? To bring about, to bring to pass; to effect; to accomplish. To bring back. (a) To recall. (b) To restore, as something borrowed, to its owner. To bring by the lee (Naut.), to incline so rapidly to leeward of the course, when a ship sails large, as to bring the lee side suddenly to the windward, any by laying the sails aback, expose her to danger of upsetting. To bring down. (a) To cause to come down. (b) To humble or abase; as, to bring down high looks. To bring down the house, to cause tremendous applause. [Colloq.] To bring forth. (a) To produce, as young fruit. (b) To bring to light; to make manifest. To bring forward (a) To exhibit; to introduce; to produce to view. (b) To hasten; to promote; to forward. (c) To propose; to adduce; as, to bring forward arguments. To bring home. (a) To bring to one's house. (b) To prove conclusively; as, to bring home a charge of treason. (c) To cause one to feel or appreciate by personal experience. (d) (Naut.) To lift of its place, as an anchor. To bring in. (a) To fetch from without; to import. (b) To introduce, as a bill in a deliberative assembly. (c) To return or repot to, or lay before, a court or other body; to render; as, to bring in a verdict or a report. (d) To take to an appointed place of deposit or collection; as, to bring in provisions or money for a specified object. (e) To produce, as income. (f) To induce to join. To bring off, to bear or convey away; to clear from condemnation; to cause to escape. To bring on. (a) To cause to begin. (b) To originate or cause to exist; as, to bring on a disease. To bring one on one's way, to accompany, guide, or attend one. To bring out, to expose; to detect; to bring to light from concealment. To bring over. (a) To fetch or bear across. (b) To convert by persuasion or other means; to cause to change sides or an opinion. To bring to. (a) To resuscitate; to bring back to consciousness or life, as a fainting person. (b) (Naut.) To check the course of, as of a ship, by dropping the anchor, or by counterbracing the sails so as to keep her nearly stationary (she is then said to lie to). (c) To cause (a vessel) to lie to, as by firing across her course. (d) To apply a rope to the capstan. To bring to light, to disclose; to discover; to make clear; to reveal. To bring a sail to (Naut.), to bend it to the yard. To bring to pass, to accomplish to effect. "Trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." --Ps. xxxvii. 5. To bring under, to subdue; to restrain; to reduce to obedience. To bring up. (a) To carry upward; to nurse; to rear; to educate. (b) To cause to stop suddenly. (c) Note: [v. i. by dropping the reflexive pronoun] To stop suddenly; to come to a standstill. [Colloq.] To bring up (any one) with a round turn, to cause (any one) to stop abruptly. [Colloq.] To be brought to bed. See under Bed. Syn: To fetch; bear; carry; convey; transport; import; procure; produce; cause; adduce; induce.