bring upon
B2 formal separable transitive
In simple words
To make something bad happen to yourself or someone else because of what you did.
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
formal
To cause something unpleasant or harmful to fall on oneself through one's own actions or decisions.
"He brought disgrace upon himself by lying to the committee."
"You have brought this upon yourselves."
— Common formal/literary phrasing; appears in various political speeches and dramatic works
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
formal
To cause something negative to happen to another person as a result of one's actions.
"The reckless decision brought suffering upon the entire community."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Typically used with negative consequences: disaster, shame, ruin, trouble. Most often reflexive ('brought it upon himself/herself/themselves'). Formal and somewhat literary in tone. 'Bring down upon' is a close variant.
Commonly used with
disaster shame ruin trouble wrath misfortune
Forms
Base
bring upon
I/you/we/they
3rd person
brings upon
he/she/it
Past simple
brought upon
yesterday
Past participle
brought upon
have + pp
-ing form
bringing upon
continuous
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