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boast

 - 4 dictionary results

boast

1  [bohst]
Use boast in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride, esp. about oneself.
2. to speak with pride (often fol. by of): He boasted of his family's wealth.
–verb (used with object)
3. to speak of with excessive pride or vanity: He boasts himself a genius.
4. to be proud in the possession of: The town boasts a new school.
–noun
5. a thing boasted of; a cause for pride: Talent is his boast. It is her boast that she has never betrayed a friend.
6. exaggerated or objectionable speech; bragging: empty boasts and threats.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME bost (n.), bosten (v.), of uncert. orig.

Related forms:
boast⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
boastless, adjective

Synonyms:
1, 2. Boast, brag imply vocal self-praise or claims to superiority over others. Boast usually refers to a particular ability, possession, etc., that may be one of such kind as to justify a good deal of pride: He boasts of his ability as a singer. Brag, a more colloquial term, usually suggests a more ostentatious and exaggerated boasting but less well-founded: He brags loudly of his marksmanship.

boast

2  [bohst]
–verb (used with object) Masonry.
to dress or shape (stone) roughly.
Origin:
1815–25; of uncert. orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To boast
boast 1   (bōst)   
v.   boast·ed, boast·ing, boasts

v.   intr.
To glorify oneself in speech; talk in a self-admiring way.
v.   tr.

  1. To speak of with excessive pride.

  2. To possess or own (a desirable feature): "[the] capital of a region in the southeast that boasts bountiful coal fields" (US Air).

  3. To contain; have.

n.  

  1. The act or an instance of bragging.

  2. A source of pride.


[Middle English bosten, from bost, a brag.]
boast'er n., boast'ful adj., boast'ful·ly adv., boast'ful·ness n.
Synonyms: These verbs all mean to speak with pride, often excessive pride, about oneself or something related to oneself. Boast is the most general: "We confide [that is, have confidence] in our strength, without boasting of it; we respect that of others, without fearing it" (Thomas Jefferson).
Brag implies exaggerated claims and often an air of insolent superiority: He bragged about his grades.
Crow stresses exultation and often loud rejoicing: No candidate should crow until the votes have been counted.
Vaunt suggests ostentatiousness and lofty extravagance of expression: "He did not vaunt of his new dignity, but I understood he was highly pleased with it" (James Boswell).
Usage Note: Some have objected to the use of boast as a transitive verb meaning "to possess or own (a desirable feature)," as in This network boasts an audience with a greater concentration of professionals and managers than any other broadcast vehicle. This usage is by now well established, however, and is acceptable to 62 percent of the Usage Panel.
boast 2   (bōst)   
tr.v.   boast·ed, boast·ing, boasts
To shape or form (stone) roughly with a broad chisel.

[Origin unknown.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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