bring back
A2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
to take something back, return it, or make you remember
Meanings
1 A2 neutral
to return with someone or something to the place you started from
"Could you bring back some bread on your way home?"
"Bring back our girls."
— Global campaign slogan after the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping
Grammar: separable
2 B1
idiomatic
neutral
to make something such as a practice, law, or style exist again
"The town wants to bring back the summer festival next year."
"We will bring back our jobs."
— Donald Trump, campaign speeches, 2016
Grammar: separable
3 B1
idiomatic
neutral
to make someone remember something from the past
"That song always brings back my first year at university."
"The smell of chalk brought back memories of school."
— Common memoir phrasing; no single secure citation recalled
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Very common in daily conversation. The memory sense often appears with songs, smells, and photos.
Commonly used with
memories tradition book money smell photos
Forms
Base
bring back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
brings back
he/she/it
Past simple
brought back
yesterday
Past participle
brought back
have + pp
-ing form
bringing back
continuous
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Synonyms
return restore revive reintroduce remind recall
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