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verb A1 Beginner Very common

bring

BRIHNG

Bring (verb) means to carry or take someone or something to a place. Example: “Can you bring your laptop to the meeting?”

verb
1
To carry or take someone or something to a place.
"Can you bring your laptop to the meeting?"
"She brought her sister along to the party."
2
To cause a particular result or situation.
"The new policy brought chaos to the office."
"Practice brings improvement over time."
3
To file or start (a legal case) against someone.
"The company brought a lawsuit against its former partner."

How to Use Bring

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo carry, take, or cause something — moving an object, person, or result toward a place or situation.

Common mistake

Bring is for movement toward the speaker or a shared location; take is for movement away. "Bring it here" but "take it there."

Easily confused with
Common pairings
bring something to someone bring about change bring a lawsuit

Word Forms

brought past tense, broughten past tense, brang past tense, brung past tense, bringed past tense, bring plural, brought plural, brang plural, brung plural, bringed plural, brings singular, bring singular, brought singular, brang singular, brung singular, bringed singular, broughtest singular, bringest singular, bringeth singular

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Test yourself on “bring” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Can you _____ your laptop to the meeting?

Etymology

From Old English bringan, an ancient Germanic verb that has meant "to carry something to a place" for well over a thousand years.

Origin: Old English

Related Words

Rhymes for bring

See all rhymes for bring →

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “bring” mean?

The word “bring” means to carry or take someone or something to a place. In plain terms, to carry, take, or cause something — moving an object, person, or result toward a place or situation.

How do you pronounce “bring”?

“Bring” is pronounced BRIHNG (/ˈbɹɪŋ/ in IPA).

How do you use “bring” in a sentence?

Here is “bring” used in a sentence: “Can you bring your laptop to the meeting?”

What part of speech is “bring”?

“Bring” is a verb.

Where does the word “bring” come from?

The word “bring” comes from Old English. From Old English bringan, an ancient Germanic verb that has meant "to carry something to a place" for well over a thousand years.

Is “bring” a common word?

“Bring” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

How many meanings does “bring” have?

“Bring” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to carry or take someone or something to a place.

What is the difference between bring and take?

Bring means to carry something toward the speaker or the place they are — 'Bring it here.' Take means to carry something away from the speaker to another place — 'Take it there.' The choice depends on the direction of movement relative to where the speaker is standing or focused.

What is the past tense of bring?

The past tense and past participle are both 'brought' — 'She brought her laptop.' Bring is an irregular verb, so it does not follow the usual '-ed' pattern. Forms such as 'brang' or 'brung' are sometimes heard in casual speech but are considered non-standard in writing.

What does it mean to bring something up?

To bring something up usually means to raise a topic in conversation — 'She brought up the budget.' It can also mean to raise a child, or, more literally, to carry something to a higher place. Bring forms many such phrasal verbs, including bring about, bring on, and bring back.

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial