bring to (one's) knees

1. To carry, convey, lead, or cause to go along to another place: brought enough money with me.

2. To carry as an attribute or contribution: You bring many years of experience to your new post.

3. To lead or force into a specified state, situation, or location: bring the water to a boil; brought the meeting to a close.

4. 1. To persuade; induce: The defendant's testimony brought others to confess.

   2. To get the attention of; attract: Smoke and flames brought the neighbors.

   3. To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.

   4. To introduce (a debutante) to society.

5. To cause to occur as a consequence or concomitant: Floods brought destruction to the valley. For many, the fall brings hayfever.

6. To cause to become apparent to the mind; recall: This music brings back memories.

7. Law To advance or set forth (charges) in a court.

8. To sell for: a portrait that brought a million dollars.

9. To cause to adopt an opinion or take a certain course of action.

10. To cause to recover consciousness.

11. To cause to fall or collapse.

12. To kill.

13. To give rise to; produce: plants bringing forth fruit.

14. To give birth to (young).

15. To present; produce: bring forward proof.

16. Accounting To carry (a sum) from one page or column to another.

17. Law To give or submit (a verdict) to a court.

18. To produce, yield, or earn (profits or income).

19. 1. To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.

    2. To introduce (a debutante) to society.

20. To produce or publish: bring out a new book.

21. To nurture and develop (a quality, for example) to best advantage: You bring out the best in me.

22. To cause to recover consciousness.

23. Nautical To cause (a ship) to turn into the wind or come to a stop.

24. To take care of and educate (a child); rear.

25. To introduce into discussion; mention.

26. To vomit.

27. To cause to come to a sudden stop.

1. To cause to adopt an opinion or take a certain course of action.

2. To cause to recover consciousness.

1. To cause to fall or collapse.

2. To kill.

1. To give rise to; produce: plants bringing forth fruit.

2. To give birth to (young).

1. To present; produce: bring forward proof.

2. Accounting To carry (a sum) from one page or column to another.

1. Law To give or submit (a verdict) to a court.

2. To produce, yield, or earn (profits or income).

1. 1. To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.

   2. To introduce (a debutante) to society.

2. To produce or publish: bring out a new book.

3. To nurture and develop (a quality, for example) to best advantage: You bring out the best in me.

1. To cause to recover consciousness.

2. Nautical To cause (a ship) to turn into the wind or come to a stop.

1. To take care of and educate (a child); rear.

2. To introduce into discussion; mention.

3. To vomit.

4. To cause to come to a sudden stop.

1. To earn a living, especially for a family.

2. To achieve desired results; have success.

1. To exert; apply: bring pressure to bear on the student's parents.

2. 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).

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.