bring
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /ˈbɹɪŋ/
Etymology 1

From Middle English bryngen, from Old English bringan, from Proto-West Germanic *bringan, from Proto-Germanic *bringaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrenk-, possibly based on *bʰer-.

Compare Western Frisian bringe, Low German bringen, Dutch brengen, German bringen; also Welsh hebrwng, Tocharian B pränk-, Latvian brankti, Lithuanian branktas.

Verb

bring (brings, present participle bringing; simple past and past participle brought)

  1. (transitive, ditransitive) To transport toward somebody/somewhere.
    Waiter, please bring me a single malt whiskey.
    • 1892, Walter Besant, chapter II, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC ↗:
      At twilight in the summer […] the mice come out. They […] eat the luncheon crumbs. Mr. Checkly, for instance, always brought his dinner in a paper parcel in his coat-tail pocket, and ate it when so disposed, sprinkling crumbs lavishly […] on the floor.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:
      A waiter brought his aperitif, which was a small scotch and soda, and as he sipped it gratefully he sighed. ¶ ‘Civilized,’ he said to Mr. Campion. ‘Humanizing.’ […] ‘Cigars and summer days and women in big hats with swansdown face-powder, that's what it reminds me of.’
  2. (transitive, figuratively) To supply or contribute.
    The new company director brought a fresh perspective on sales and marketing.
    • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:
      “ […] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”
  3. (transitive) To occasion or bring about.
    The controversial TV broadcast brought a storm of complaints.
  4. (transitive) To raise (a lawsuit, charges, etc.) against somebody.
  5. To persuade; to induce; to draw; to lead; to guide.
    • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC ↗, book I, page 11 ↗:
      It seems so preposterous a thing […] that they do not easily bring themselves to it.
  6. To produce in exchange; to sell for; to fetch.
    What does coal bring per ton?
  7. (baseball) To pitch, often referring to a particularly hard thrown fastball.
    The closer Jones can really bring it.
Conjugation
  • Past brang and past participle brung and broughten forms are sometimes used in some dialects, especially in informal speech.
Translations Interjection
  1. The sound of a telephone ringing.



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