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bring on

B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

to make something start or happen

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic neutral

to cause something, especially a condition or reaction, to start

"Too much screen time can bring on a headache."

"Stress can bring on an asthma attack."

— Common health-information phrasing; no single secure citation recalled
Grammar: separable
2 B2 idiomatic neutral

to introduce the next performer, speaker, or stage of an event

"The host brought on the final guest just before the break."

"Bring on the dancing horses!"

— Echo and the Bunnymen, song title
Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral

to make something develop sooner or more strongly

"The warm weather brought on the flowers early this year."

Grammar: separable
4 B2 idiomatic informal

used to show that you are eager for something difficult or challenging to happen

"If they want a rematch, bring it on."

"Bring it on."

— Common catchphrase; also title of the 2000 film Bring It On
Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Very common with symptoms, stress, sleep, labour, and stage performance. 'Bring on' can also be an enthusiastic challenge in informal speech.

Commonly used with

headache sleep labour symptoms guest the next act

Forms

Base
bring on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
brings on
he/she/it
Past simple
brought on
yesterday
Past participle
brought on
have + pp
-ing form
bringing on
continuous

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Synonyms

cause trigger induce introduce prompt start

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