What does "bring" mean?

1. (to carry to a place) to take or carry someone or something to a place or person. 2. (to cause or result in) to cause something to happen or exist. 3. (to start a legal case) to start a legal process or charge against someone. 4. (to earn or fetch) to be sold for a certain amount of money.

bring — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I will take this to you tomorrow"?

No — say "I will bring this to you tomorrow". Use 'bring' for movement toward the person you are speaking to; 'take' is for movement away from the current location.

Word

Infinitive

bring

Past

brought

Past participle

brought

01to carry to a place

A1 · Beginner

v. to take or carry someone or something to a place or person.

v. to carry, convey, or conduct something or someone toward the speaker or a specified destination. Often ditransitive, taking both a direct and indirect object.

“Please bring your laptop to the meeting so we can look at the files.”

“The courier was instructed to bring the confidential documents directly to the CEO's office without stopping at the reception desk.”

Synonyms

carry fetch transport

Antonyms

take remove

02to cause or result in

B1 · Intermediate

v. to cause something to happen or exist.

v. to cause, occasion, or result in a particular state or event.

“The heavy rains will bring much-needed water to the dry fields.”

“The new economic policy is expected to bring significant changes to the manufacturing sector over the next decade.”

Synonyms

cause produce create

Antonyms

prevent

03to start a legal case

B2 · Upper Intermediate Law Formal

v. to start a legal process or charge against someone.

v. to initiate or institute legal proceedings, such as a lawsuit or formal charges.

“The police decided to bring charges against the driver after the accident.”

“The environmental group intends to bring a lawsuit against the corporation for its repeated violations of waste disposal regulations.”

Synonyms

file initiate institute

Antonyms

drop withdraw

04to earn or fetch

C1 · Advanced Formal

v. to be sold for a certain amount of money.

v. to produce a specific price or income when sold.

“The rare painting is expected to bring millions at the auction tomorrow.”

“The sale of the subsidiary is projected to bring a substantial profit, which will be reinvested into research and development.”

Synonyms

fetch earn yield

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “bring” in context.

01. brings together 02. bring benefit 03. bring concept 04. bring back 05. bring an end 06. bring new 07. brings people 08. bring booze 09. bring competition 10. bring the fire

The verb is transitive and often takes both a direct and indirect object ('bring someone something'). It implies movement toward the speaker, whereas 'take' implies movement away.

I will take this to you tomorrow

I will bring this to you tomorrow

Use 'bring' for movement toward the person you are speaking to; 'take' is for movement away from the current location.

bring vs take

Bring describes movement toward the speaker or the current point of reference, while take describes movement away from the speaker or toward a different location.

RememberBring it here; take it there.

bring vs fetch

Bring is a one-way movement toward the speaker, while fetch is a two-way trip to go get something and return with it.

RememberBring it here; fetch it and back.

bring about bring along bring around bring back bring down bring forth bring in bring off bring out bring up