1 B2 idiomatic neutral
To cause an unconscious person to regain consciousness.
"The nurse used smelling salts to bring the fainting woman to."
separable
bring to
B2 neutral separable transitive
To restore someone to consciousness, or to cause a ship to stop by turning into the wind.
In plain English
To wake someone up who has fainted or passed out, or to make a boat stop moving.
What does "bring to" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic neutral
(Nautical) To cause a vessel to stop or come to a standstill by turning it into the wind.
"The captain ordered the crew to bring the schooner to before entering the narrow harbour."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To physically bring something or someone to a point or position — the idiomatic leap is that 'to' here means 'to consciousness' or 'to a stop'.
Actually means
To wake someone up who has fainted or passed out, or to make a boat stop moving.
Usage tip
In the sense of reviving someone, the object (the person) is typically placed between 'bring' and 'to' (e.g., 'bring him to'). The nautical sense is specialized and encountered mainly in sailing contexts.
Words that pair with "bring to"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
smelling salts consciousness senses helm ship patient
How to conjugate "bring to"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
bring to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
brings to
he/she/it
Past simple
brought to
yesterday
Past participle
brought to
have + pp
-ing form
bringing to
continuous
Hear "bring to" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "bring to" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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