English Expressions, Idioms & Phrasal Verbs | Meanings, Examples & Usage
to reveal something that was hidden or unclear
"Therapy helped him bring to light the real source of his anger."
to contribute something useful or valuable
"Each team member brings something unique to the table."
to unite people for a purpose
"Family events bring together everyone and strengthen bonds."
to combine different thoughts or approaches for a shared goal
"The summit aims to bring together ideas from across nations for sustainable progress."
to unite countries for a common purpose or goal
"The conference helped bring together nations for global development."
to unite people to work collaboratively
"The new manager managed to bring together the whole team after a conflict."
to start discussing a topic in a conversation or meeting
"She decided to bring up the issue of delayed payments during the meeting."
to raise and take care of children
"They worked hard to bring up a family."
to confront someone with a problem or difficulty
"He was suddenly brought up against a serious obstacle."
to introduce a topic or proposal for official discussion
"The minister decided to bring up for debate a new tax reform policy."
to introduce a topic for polite debate or talk
"I’d like to bring up for discussion the new proposal everyone received."
to introduce or suggest new ideas for discussion
"He encouraged everyone to bring up ideas during the workshop."
to increase the rate charged on loans
"Central banks often bring up interest rates to control inflation."
to start discussing trade terms formally
"The minister plans to bring up negotiations during the next summit."
to mention past problems during a new argument
"He always brings up old issues whenever they argue."
to cause prices to increase; to make costs rise
"High demand for oil can bring up prices across many industries."
to give someone the latest information about something
"Can you bring me up to date on the latest news?"
to make someone or something fully informed or updated
"The new employees were brought up to speed on the company’s financial goals."
to mention a topic or issue to someone for discussion
"I decided to bring up the issue with my manager during our weekly meeting."
to force yourself to do something that is emotionally difficult
"He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth."
extremely sad about something or someone
"He was broken-hearted after the breakup."
to ignore or dismiss something or someone
"She brushed aside the criticism and kept working on her project."
to push hair away from the face using the hand or brush
"She brushed back her hair to see more clearly."
to ignore or dismiss a mistake or criticism
"He brushed off the criticism and continued working."
to ignore self-doubt and continue with confidence
"He brushed off doubt and delivered a great speech."
to ignore or dismiss negative emotions or comments
"He just brushed off the negativity and stayed focused."
to move quickly by someone or something with slight contact
"He brushed past the reporters without stopping."
to quickly review or go through something
"I’ll brush through my notes one more time before the exam."
to clean or improve something; to review or practice
"He brushed up his teeth quickly before leaving for work."
to improve your knowledge or skills that you already learned
"I need to brush up on my presentation skills before the big meeting."
a method of hacking that tries all possible combinations of passwords until the correct one is found
"The attacker launched a brute force attack on the system’s login page."
to show excitement or happiness in an obvious way
"The children were bubbling over with joy on the last day of school."
to be full of excitement, happiness, or energy
"The kids were bubbling with excitement at the party."
very happy and excited
"The children were bubbling with joy after receiving their gifts."
to start working seriously after being distracted
"It’s time to buckle down and finish the report."
to start working seriously on something important
"I have to buckle down on my thesis this weekend."
to give in or collapse under pressure
"He refused to buckle under the stress of his new responsibilities."
to give in or fail due to too much stress or pressure
"Some employees buckle under pressure, while others thrive."
to give in to stress or pressure
"She refused to buckle under the strain and kept going."
to fasten your seatbelt for safety
"Don’t forget to buckle up before the car moves."
to become partners or friends with someone
"New hires buddy up with mentors during orientation week."
to plan how much money will be needed for something
"We need to budget for our new marketing campaign."
to allocate money for a future need
"Finance budgets out for new laptops in the annual plan."
to plan specific chunks of time for tasks
"I budget time blocks on Monday for deep work and catch-up slots."
to malfunction or behave unexpectedly because of a bug
"The new update made the camera app bug out constantly."
to improve an existing product or idea
"Every tech company tries to build a better mousetrap in its field."
to develop cooperation or structures that connect different entities globally
"They aim to build across regions to support innovation networks."
to form cooperative relationships between groups or nations
"Countries must build alliances to face economic crises together."
to form partnerships or agreements with other groups or parties
"The party aims to build alliances with smaller political movements to strengthen its position."
to base something on a central idea or feature
"The company plans to build around AI as its main technology."