# brag

/ˈbɹæɡ/ (US) · /bɹˈæɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/brag
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. to boast

verb · CEFR B1

to talk with too much pride about what you have done or what you own.

For teachers: to speak with excessive pride or self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Often used with the preposition 'about'.

- He always brags about how much money he earns at his new job.
- It is considered poor etiquette to brag about your professional successes in front of colleagues who are currently facing redundancy.

Usage: The verb is usually intransitive and followed by 'about' or 'of'.

### 2. a boastful statement

noun · CEFR B2

a statement where someone talks too proudly about themselves.

For teachers: an instance of boastful talk or a specific claim made with excessive pride.

- His claim that he could run a marathon in three hours turned out to be a hollow brag.
- The politician's speech was dismissed by critics as a series of empty brags designed to distract from the failing economy.

Usage: Often used in the phrase 'empty brag' to describe a claim that is not true.

### 3. excellent

adjective · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Dialect

very good or excellent.

For teachers: denoting something of superior quality or excellence.

- That was a brag performance by the lead singer tonight.
- The local team put on a brag display of skill, surprising the visiting champions with their tactical discipline.

Teaching tip: This adjective sense is very rare in modern standard English; learners will mostly encounter it in older literature or specific regional dialects.

## Examples

- He loves to brag about his new car.
- She tends to brag about her grades whenever the teacher calls on her.
- The politician's tendency to brag about his past successes often overshadowed his actual policy proposals during the campaign.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.