Word
boast
US/ˈboʊst/
UK/bˈəʊst/
Definitions
01to brag
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to talk with too much pride about your own qualities, possessions, or success.
v. to speak with excessive pride or self-satisfaction about one's achievements or possessions. Often used with the prepositions 'about' or 'of'.
日本語:自慢する※
“He likes to boast about how much money he earns at his new job.”
“While he didn't explicitly boast of his influence, he made sure to mention his close friendship with the prime minister several times during dinner.”
Usage
Commonly followed by 'about' or 'of' when specifying the subject of the pride.
Antonyms
02to possess a feature
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to have something impressive that you can be proud of.
v. to possess a feature that is a source of pride or a distinct advantage. Transitive; the subject is typically a place or an organization rather than a person.
“The hotel boasts a beautiful view of the mountains from every room.”
“The university boasts one of the most comprehensive research libraries in the country, attracting scholars from across the globe.”
Teaching tip
In this sense, the word is usually positive and formal; it does not imply the 'arrogance' found in the first sense.
Antonyms
03a brag
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a statement in which you express too much pride in yourself.
n. a statement or instance of expressive self-praise or bragging.
日本語:自慢※
“It was no idle boast when she said she could run a marathon in under three hours.”
“His claim to have never lost a case was dismissed by his colleagues as a characteristic boast rather than a statement of fact.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
04squash shot
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Sports Technical
n. a specific type of shot in the game of squash where the ball hits a side wall first.
n. a shot in which the ball is driven against a side wall before reaching the front wall.
“He won the point with a clever boast that caught his opponent off guard.”
“The professional player utilised a deceptive three-wall boast to force his opponent into the front corner of the court.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “boast” in context.
Verb
01. boast about their achievements
“He is not the type of person to boast about his achievements in public.”
verb + prep + noun
02. boast of having
“The city boasts of having one of the most efficient public transport systems in Europe.”
verb + prep
03. boast that the project
“The developers boast that the project will be completed ahead of schedule.”
verb + that-clause
Noun
04. boast to the press
“His boast to the press about his wealth eventually led to a tax investigation.”
noun + prep + noun
05. empty boast
“The politician's promise to lower taxes turned out to be an empty boast.”
adj + noun
Adverb
06. openly boast
“The CEO openly boasted that the company would dominate the market within a year.”
adv + verb
07. proudly boast
“The university proudly boasts a high employment rate for its graduates.”
adv + verb
08. rightly boast
“The museum can rightly boast one of the finest collections of Impressionist art.”
adv + verb
Real-World Examples
“Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) , external suggests the capital boasts some of the highest average rents in the country.” “He had done national service in the Royal Army Medical Corps (1954-56), yet boasted that he refused to sing the national anthem.” “The second movement boasted stereo harps (two on each side of the stage), the third louring, thunderous timpani echoing between stage and gallery.” Etymology
From Middle English bosten, from bost (“boast, glory, noise, arrogance, presumption, pride, vanity”), probably of North Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bausuz (“inflated, swollen, puffed up, proud, arrogant, bad”). Cognate with Scots bost, boist (“to threaten, brag, boast”), Anglo-Norman bost (“ostentation”) (from Germanic). Related to Norwegian baus (“proud, bold, daring”), dialectal German baustern (“to swell”), German böse (“evil, bad, angry”), Dutch boos (“evil, wicked, angry”), West Frisian boas (“bad, wicked, angry, shrewd, clever”). Compare also dialectal Norwegian bausta, busta (“to rush onward, make a noise”). Possible doublet of boost. Compare typologically puffy, Russian напы́щенный (napýščennyj), наду́тый (nadútyj).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/boast
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0