What does "boast" mean?

1. (to brag) to talk with too much pride about your own qualities, possessions, or success. 2. (to possess a feature) to have something impressive that you can be proud of. 3. (a brag) a statement in which you express too much pride in yourself. 4. (squash shot) a specific type of shot in the game of squash where the ball hits a side wall first.

How do you use "boast"?

Commonly followed by 'about' or 'of' when specifying the subject of the pride.

boast

v. · n.

US //ˈboʊst// UK //bˈəʊst// boast

1 to brag (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to talk with too much pride about your own qualities, possessions, or success.

to speak with excessive pride or self-satisfaction about one's achievements or possessions. Often used with the prepositions 'about' or 'of'.

Example

He likes to boast about how much money he earns at his new job.

Example

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.
- brag
- crow
- show off
- belittle
- deprecate
2 to possess a feature (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal

to have something impressive that you can be proud of.

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.

Example

The hotel boasts a beautiful view of the mountains from every room.

Example

The university boasts one of the most comprehensive research libraries in the country, attracting scholars from across the globe.

Teacher's tip

In this sense, the word is usually positive and formal; it does not imply the 'arrogance' found in the first sense.
- lack

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3 a brag (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a statement in which you express too much pride in yourself.

a statement or instance of expressive self-praise or bragging.

Example

It was no idle boast when she said she could run a marathon in under three hours.

Example

His claim to have never lost a case was dismissed by his colleagues as a characteristic boast rather than a statement of fact.
- brag
- vaunt
- understatement
4 squash shot (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Sport

a specific type of shot in the game of squash where the ball hits a side wall first.

a shot in which the ball is driven against a side wall before reaching the front wall.

Example

He won the point with a clever boast that caught his opponent off guard.

Example

The professional player utilised a deceptive three-wall boast to force his opponent into the front corner of the court.

Origin

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).