brought: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
A1All registers, from highly formal to informal.
Quick answer
What does “brought” mean?
The past tense and past participle of 'bring', meaning to carry, lead, or cause something or someone to come to a place or into a particular state.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The past tense and past participle of 'bring', meaning to carry, lead, or cause something or someone to come to a place or into a particular state.
To introduce, produce, or cause a particular result, situation, or feeling.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No difference in usage of the verb form 'brought' itself. Spelling is identical. Potential minor differences in past tense usage in phrasal verbs (e.g., 'brought up' for raising children vs. US also using 'raised').
Connotations
Identical connotations. Often used in legal, formal, and everyday contexts identically.
Frequency
Extremely high frequency in both dialects with no measurable variation.
Grammar
How to Use “brought” in a Sentence
SVO: She brought the wine.SVOA: He brought the documents to the meeting.SVO to Infinitive: This brought him to reconsider.Passive: Charges were brought against him.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “brought” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- She brought her wellies for the walk.
- The scandal brought down the government.
- He brought the matter up at the AGM.
American English
- She brought her rain boots for the hike.
- The scandal brought down the administration.
- He brought the issue up at the board meeting.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Common in contexts of transactions, proposals, and results (e.g., 'The merger brought significant savings').
Academic
Used to discuss causation, results, and the introduction of ideas (e.g., 'The study brought new evidence to light').
Everyday
Ubiquitous for describing carrying items or causing people to arrive (e.g., 'I brought you a coffee').
Technical
Used in legal contexts ('brought a suit'), engineering ('brought online'), and computing ('brought down the server').
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “brought”
- Using 'bringed' (non-standard).
- Confusing with 'bought'.
- Using 'took' instead of 'brought' when direction is towards the speaker.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Brought' is the irregular past tense and past participle of the verb 'bring' (bring-brought-brought).
'Brought' implies movement towards the speaker or a specified destination. 'Took' implies movement away from the speaker to another place. 'I brought it here' vs. 'I took it there'.
No, 'brought' is only the past tense and past participle. The present tense is 'bring' or 'brings'.
Yes, 'brought' serves as the past participle, so 'have brought' (present perfect) and 'had brought' (past perfect) are correct forms.
The past tense and past participle of 'bring', meaning to carry, lead, or cause something or someone to come to a place or into a particular state.
Brought is usually all registers, from highly formal to informal. in register.
Brought: in British English it is pronounced /brɔːt/, and in American English it is pronounced /brɔt/ or /brɑt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “brought to book”
- “brought to heel”
- “brought to its knees”
- “brought to bear”
- “brought to a head”
- “brought home the bacon”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'brought' as 'buy + thought' - you brought what you bought after you thought about it.
Conceptual Metaphor
CAUSATION IS BRINGING (e.g., 'This brought happiness' = caused happiness). CHANGE OF STATE IS MOVEMENT TO A NEW LOCATION.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'brought' correctly?