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bring

A1
Very common

Pronunciation

UK

  • /brˈɪŋ/

US

  • /ˈbrɪŋ/

Meanings

Verb

  1. to carry or lead someone or something to a place

  2. to cause something to happen, exist, or result

  3. to provide or contribute something to a situation

More meanings
  1. to start a legal case, charge, or claim

  2. to sell for or produce a particular amount of money

Beyond the definition

"Bring" seems simple enough—it's about moving something towards the speaker. Think of a dog bringing you a stick! But "bring" isn't just physical. You can bring joy to someone with a kind word, or bring a problem on yourself through carelessness. It implies an action that results in something arriving at a specific location—usually where you are. If you're going somewhere else, you "take" instead! "Bring me the remote," but "I will take this book with me."

The core idea is movement, but many uses stretch to effects and consequences. You can bring joy, trouble, shame, or even a change in mood. The common thread stays the same: the person using "bring" is connected to the destination, while "take" usually points from that location away.

Examples

  1. 1

    Identification

    Please bring your ID when you come tomorrow.

  2. 2

    Everyday request

    Can you bring me my phone? I left it upstairs.

  3. 3

    Arriving together

    He brought his cousin with him to dinner.

    • Patternbring + person with you

      come together with that person

  4. 4

    Weather preparation

    I forgot to bring an umbrella, so I got soaked on the way home.

More examples
  1. 5

    Returning items

    Can you bring the book back next week?

    • Phrasebring back

      return

  2. 6

    Memories

    That song always brings back memories of high school.

    • Phrasebring back memories

      make you remember something

  3. 7

    Sensitive topic

    I didn’t want to bring up money during lunch.

    • Phrasebring up

      start talking about a subject

  4. 8

    Legal case

    The new evidence could bring the whole case to an end.

    • Patternbring + situation to an end

      cause it to finish

  5. 9

    Public attention

    The article brings attention to a problem many people ignore.

    • Patternbring attention to + issue

      make people notice it

  6. 10

    Lively conversation

    Her jokes always bring the conversation to life.

    • Patternbring + thing to life

      make it feel lively and interesting

  7. 11

    Visit reason

    What brings you to Boston this week?

    • PhraseWhat brings you to + place?

      why are you there?

  8. 12

    Causing change

    The policy changes brought about a big improvement in safety.

    • Phrasebring about

      cause something to happen

See also

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

Do not confuse

Used with (collocations)

  • bring something to someone
  • bring someone along
  • bring something back
  • bring a gift

Word family

Explore

Forms and spellings

4 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • bringverb

Forms

  • broughtpast tensepast participleverb
  • bringing-ing formverb
  • bringsverb