What does brought mean?
Brought is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'bring', one of the most frequently used verbs in English. It means to have carried, conveyed, or caused someone or something to arrive at a particular place, person, or state. Beyond physical transport, brought is often used figuratively: a speech can be said to have brought about change, a book can have brought comfort, or a scandal can have brought down a government. It also appears in many fixed expressions such as 'brought up' (raised or mentioned) and 'brought to light' (revealed). Because it functions as the past form of an extremely common verb, brought appears constantly in everyday conversation, journalism, and literature alike. Its spelling and pronunciation are stable across British and American English, making it one of the reliable workhorses of the language.
verbBrought is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'bring', meaning to carry, convey, or cause someone or something to come to a place or person.
- Carried or conveyed someone or something to a place or person.
- Caused a situation, change, or result to happen.
- Led or escorted someone to a place.
"She brought her umbrella in case it rained on the way home."
"He brought flowers to his grandmother's house every Sunday."
"The new policy brought significant changes to the company."
One of the most irregular verbs in English, 'bring' has kept its ancient form for over a thousand years — its past tense 'brought' rhymes with a whole family of old verbs like 'fought', 'taught', and 'sought'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of brought
Brought derives from Old English 'brōhte', the past tense of 'bringan', meaning to carry or convey. The verb itself comes from Proto-Germanic '*bringan', which gave rise to cognates in other Germanic languages including Dutch 'brengen', German 'bringen', and Gothic 'briggan'. The unusual '-ought' ending reflects a common pattern among Old English strong verbs that shifted to weak conjugation over time, producing past forms like 'brought', 'fought', 'taught', and 'sought'. The form has remained essentially unchanged since Middle English, making it one of the older continuous verb forms in modern English.
Related word forms
How brought is actually used
As an inflected form of 'bring', it is standard in both formal and informal registers across all major English dialects. In some American dialects, the vowel is pronounced with a lower, more open sound (/brɑːt/), though /brɔːt/ remains widely accepted.
Easily confused with brought
'Brought' is the past tense of 'bring' (to carry or convey something), while 'bought' is the past tense of 'buy' (to purchase something).