Bring

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɹɪŋ/
• US IPA: /ˈbɹiːŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋ

From Middle English bringen, from Old English bringan ("to bring, lead, bring forth, carry, adduce, produce, present, offer"), from Proto-Germanic *bringaną ("to bring") (compare West Frisian bringe, Low German bringen, Dutch brengen, German bringen), from Proto-Indo-European *bhrenk (compare Welsh he-brwng ("to bring, lead"), Tocharian B pränk ("to take away; restrain oneself, hold back"), Albanian brengë ("worry, anxiety, concern"), Latvian brankti ("lying close"), Lithuanian branktas ("whiffletree")).

Full definition of bring

Verb

1. (transitive)  To transport toward somebody/somewhere.
   Waiter, please bring me a single malt whiskey.
• a1420, The British Museum Additional MS, 12,056, Lanfranc's "Science of cirurgie." Chapter Wounds complicated by the Dislocation of a Bone, Ne take noon hede to brynge togidere þe parties of þe boon þat is to-broken or dislocate, til viij. daies ben goon in þe wyntir, & v. in þe somer; for þanne it schal make quytture, and be sikir from swellynge; & þanne brynge togidere þe brynkis eiþer þe disiuncture after þe techynge þat schal be seid in þe chapitle of algebra.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 5, A waiter brought his aperitif, which was a small scotch and soda, and as he sipped it gratefully he sighed.
     â€˜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.’
• 21 August 2012, Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?, Next month, Clemons will be brought before a court presided over by a "special master", who will review the case one last time.
2. (transitive, figuratively)  To supply or contribute.
• 1910, Emerson Hough, The Purchase Price Chapter 1, “... 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. The new company director brought a fresh perspective on sales and marketing.
4. (transitive)  To raise (a lawsuit, charges, etc.) against somebody.
• 2013-08-10, Can China clean up fast enough?, It has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits.
5. (baseball)  To pitch, often referring to a particularly hard thrown fastball.
   The closer Jones can really bring it.

Usage notes

Past brang and past participle brung and broughten forms are sometimes used in some dialects, especially in informal speech.

Derived terms

Onomatopeia

Interjection

1. The sound of a telephone ringing.