ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bring down

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to make a person, group, or government lose their power or position.

phr. v.. to cause the downfall or collapse of a political entity, leader, or institution; often used in the context of regime change or corporate failure.


SIMPLE

The scandal helped bring down the government.

CONTEXTUAL

Protesters gathered in the capital, hoping their massive demonstrations would finally bring down the dictator.

COMPLEX

The investigative journalists uncovered a web of corruption so vast that it threatened to bring down the entire financial establishment.

Particles
down
Separability
optional
Pattern
bring + (object) + down
Usage

often used with political or institutional objects like 'government', 'leader', or 'regime'.

Teaching tip

contrast with the literal sense of lowering an object; in this figurative sense, it is often used in news and political discourse to describe a forced loss of power.

Pitfall

They brought the government down of the country.They brought down the government of the country.while 'bring down' is separable, placing a long prepositional phrase between the verb and particle makes the sentence difficult to follow.

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