To raise a child, introduce a topic into conversation, or cause food to come back up from the stomach.
To take care of a child until they are grown up, or to start talking about something.
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To care for and educate a child from birth to adulthood.
"She was brought up by her grandparents in a small village in Portugal."
I was brought up to believe that you should always tell the truth.
— Commonly attributed phrasing; widely used in memoirs and interviews (general idiomatic usage)
To introduce a subject or topic into a conversation or discussion.
"I didn't want to bring up the argument from last night during dinner."
I want to bring up something that's been bothering me for a long time.
— Oprah Winfrey, various TV interviews (general phrasing)
To vomit; to bring food or drink back up from the stomach.
"The child brought up everything she had eaten that morning."
To cause someone to stop suddenly (often used in the passive or with 'short').
"He was brought up short by her blunt reply."
To physically move something upward — from this, the meanings of raising a child and raising a topic are both extended metaphorically.
To take care of a child until they are grown up, or to start talking about something.
One of the most common phrasal verbs in English with several distinct senses. The child-rearing sense is typically used in the passive ('was brought up'). The topic-raising sense is very frequent in meetings and conversations. The vomiting sense is informal but widely understood.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "bring up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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