to reduce, defeat, make someone sad, or cause something to fall
to make something lower, fall, or feel worse
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
to reduce the level, amount, or price of something
"The supermarket brought down the price of milk again."
The government must bring down inflation.
— Common political speech phrasing; no single secure citation recalled
to cause a government, leader, or system to lose power
"The scandal was enough to bring down the minister."
It is not enough just to change presidents or prime ministers to bring down a dictatorship.
— Aung San Suu Kyi, public speeches/interviews, widely cited theme
to make someone feel sad or less confident
"Don't let one bad comment bring you down."
Nothing can bring me down.
— Emeli Sandé, song lyric/theme echo; exact secure citation not relied on
to make something fall, especially an aircraft, animal, or enemy
"The storm brought down several power lines overnight."
Enemy fire brought down the helicopter.
— Common news-report phrasing; no single secure citation recalled
A very flexible and common phrasal verb. Meaning depends strongly on context: prices, governments, mood, planes, and scores are all common objects.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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