An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'bring up', with examples and exercises.
Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. This post is all about the phrasal verb 'bring up', which has very varied and diverse meanings, especially compared to some of the recent phrasal verbs that I have covered such as 'look at' and 'take over'. In this post we will consider the different meanings that it has and also look at some common expressions that it is used in. So let's not beat around the bush* any longer and let's get started....
*'To beat around the bush' is an idiom in English meaning to talk about things that are not important and not get to the point.
KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | ​7 |
Separable? | Yes |
Past forms | Brought up / brought up |
British or American | Both |
For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here
THE BASICS
To 'bring up' is a phrasal verb with very diverse meanings and consists of the verb 'to bring', meaning to take something to a place with you, and the prepositional particle 'up', meaning in the direction away from the ground or towards the sky ↑.
I know from experience of teaching English that the verb 'to bring' can often be confused with the related verb 'to take'. The difference between these two verbs is mainly to do with the position of the speaker and the direction of movement. Both verbs can mean to carry something to a place. If the object is carried towards them, we use 'to bring' and if the object is carried away from where they are speaking, we use 'to take'.
Can you bring me some water please? (Here the speaker is not moving and wants the water to come to them, where they are speaking.)
I will take some sandwiches with me to work tomorrow. (Here, the speaker is going to move from where they are speaking to go to work and the sandwiches will go with them.)
The above is just a brief overview of the differences between these two verbs and more detailed explanations are available elsewhere online. I just wanted to make you aware of the main differences here before we look at the phrasal verb meanings. So, without further hesitation, let's check them out....
MEANING 1: Literal
CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Common |
Separable? | Yes |
Potential synonyms | Take up, bring |
'Bring up' is used is commonly used in its literal sense by native speakers as it is merely the verb 'to bring' with the directional element of up ↑. So, this would typically be used when someone is upstairs in a house or building or in a higher physical position the person who they are talking to and they want someone to bring them something up to where they are.
One thing to note here is that we normally insert the object pronoun such as me, him, her, them etc. between 'bring' and 'up'.
I think this literal meaning is quite easy and straightforward to understand, so we'll move on to the next meanings but before we go, here are a couple of examples to illustrate usage....
Can you bring me up some water when you come to bed?
As it is your birthday tomorrow, I will bring you up some breakfast in bed.
MEANING 2: To raise a child
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Separable | Yes |
Potential synonyms | To raise, to rear |
The first non-literal meaning of 'bring up' that we will consider is similar to the common phrasal verb 'grow up', but while 'grow up' simply refers to the process of growing from a child to an adult, we use 'bring up' to talk about how our parents (or primary caregivers), look after, teach and shape us during the growing up process.
This can be used to talk about where we lived during our childhood, as well as the beliefs and values that we were taught during this time.
It is used by native speakers commonly in both an active and a passive sense alike. In the active sense, we are talking about the parents or caregivers who are the subjects of the verb and in the passive sense we to talk about ourselves or other people and what was taught and experienced during the growing up process.
Examples of usage....
My parents brought me up to always say please and thank you and to treat everyone with respect. INTENDED MEANING: My parents taught me to always be respectful and have good manners when I was growing up.
He was brought up in an orphanage and never knew his birth parents. INTENDED MEANING: He was cared for in an orphanage as a child and never met his real parents.
Lisa managed to bring up four children all by herself after her husband tragically died. INTENDED MEANING: Lisa was able to single-handedly raise four children after the tragic death of her husband.
EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND MORE LIKE A NATIVE
The noun 'upbringing' is derived specifically from this usage of 'bring up' and is used to refer to how a person was treated, educated and shaped when they were growing up.
Example of usage....
I had a very strict upbringing and so I have tried to be a little more relaxed with my own children.
There are also a couple of other expressions that exist with this usage of 'bring up' that I want to make you aware of....
Were you brought up in a barn? This is a variation of the rhetorical question "Were you born in a barn?" and is aimed at someone who leaves a door open in a room, particularly if it is cold or draughty.
Were you brought up or dragged up? This is another rhetorical question which can be aimed at someone who doesn't behave well, implying that their parents did not teach them how to behave properly when they were growing up.
Both of the above are normally used in a humorous way and are not meant to cause offence, however it could be offensive if said in an unfriendly way, or if you do not have the right sort of relationship with the person.
Meaning 3: To introduce into a conversation
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Separable | ​Yes |
Potential synonyms | ​To introduce, to raise, to mention |
Our next meaning of 'bring up' is very different to the previous one that we've just looked at
and means to introduce a topic or subject of discussion into a conversation.
The idea behind this is that the person who brings the subject up, wants to do so for a particular reason, i.e. the subject did not enter into the discussion by chance, in which case the phrasal verb 'come up' (post coming soon) would be applicable.
This can be heard often in business English, especially when talking about meetings and agendas for subjects that need to be discussed. It is also equally common to use it outside of the business world, when talking about general conversations or discussions.
Examples of usage....
I've made a note of the issue and I will bring it up at the next management meeting. INTENDED MEANING: I have noted the problem and will raise it in the next management meeting.
Why did you have to bring that up in front of my parents?! You know their views on the subject! INTENDED MEANING: Why did you mention that when my parents were there when you know how they feel about the matter.
I didn't want to bring up the funeral yesterday as I could see that you were already upset. INTENDED MEANING: I could see that you were sad yesterday and so I didn't want to mention anything about the funeral.
MEANING 4: To vomit
CEFR Language Level | ​B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Rare |
Separable | Yes |
Potential synonyms | To vomit, to puke, to throw up, to barf, to be sick, to cough up |
Ok, so the next meaning is not the most pleasant of meanings, but it is worth covering nonetheless! Our next meaning of 'bring up' literally means to vomit or to be sick*.
The focus here is not so much on the vomiting action itself, but rather on what is being expelled from the stomach and could be for example blood, poison or something that you have swallowed that you should not have done.
It is also possible to use 'bring up' in this sense with coughing, for example with phlegm. We can also use the more specific phrasal verb 'to cough up' here as a synonym.
Examples of usage....
The dog was very sick and was bringing up lots of blood but luckily it was not life-threatening and he has made a full recovery now. INTENDED MEANING: The dog was poorly and was vomiting blood but thankfully he has now returned to good health.
My 3-year old son swallowed a small toy part but he brought it up again shortly afterwards before any harm was done. INTENDED MEANING: My young son swallowed a small part of a toy but then was sick and it came back out again.
*As a side note, don't forget that 'to be sick' in English can mean to have an illness or disease and also to vomit. The context is key here to understand which one we mean.
Meaning 5: To cause to appear on a screen
CEFR Language Level | B2 Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Separable | Yes |
Potential synonyms | To open |
Our next meaning of 'bring up' is one that has become MUCH more widespread over the last few decades as it is used particularly with IT and computers and means to cause something to appear on your screen.
This is normally used when we click on something to open it, such as a document or web page, but is also used extremely commonly when talking about the results of a search on a search engine (naming no names, you know the ones I'm talking about!).
Examples of usage....
If you right click with your mouse, it will bring up a menu. INTENDED MEANING: If you right click, a menu will appear on your screen.
Can you bring up the results of the test on your screen for me? INTENDED MEANING: Can you open the test results on your screen so I can see them.
When I looked up the question online it brought lots of irrelevant results up. INTENDED MEANING: When I searched for the answer to a question on a search engine, there were a lot of unrelated answers in the results.
Meaning 6: To come to a sudden stop
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Proficient |
Usage | Rare |
Separable | Yes |
Potential synonyms | To stop, to halt, to pull over |
This sixth meaning of 'bring up' is a rarer one than some of the meanings that we have already covered and means to cause a vehicle to come to a sudden stop.
This is especially used for cars, but could be used for all types of vehicles, including boats, where it is specifically used for dropping an anchor in order to stop it.
Example of usage....
They decided to bring up the ship in the harbour for the night due to the bad weather. INTENDED MEANING: They made the decision to drop anchor and stay in the harbour overnight because of the inclement weather conditions.
IDIOM ALERT
I think that this is a good time to introduce an idiom with 'bring up' that is linked to this particular meaning. The idiom 'to bring someone up short' is a fairly common expression that is used to express when someone stops what they are doing because something has surprised or shocked them.
Example of usage....
I was having a productive day yesterday until an email from my boss brought me up short. INTENDED MEANING: I was getting a lot of work done yesterday until I received an email from my boss which surprised me and put me off.
Meaning 7: To update or improve
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Separable | Yes |
Potential synonyms | To update, to modernise, to improve |
This seventh and final meaning of 'bring up' that I wanted to include in the post is when it is used to describe the process of updating or improving something.
When we use it to talk about updating, we can mean updating a machine, a product, a building or anything else which can be modernised and to express this, we normally use the expression 'to bring something up to date'. Moreover, we can also use it to mean updating a person, so that they have all of the most recent information about a given topic or situation. In this case, we often use the expression "to bring someone up to speed".
'Bring up' can also be used to mean improving something (often, incidentally, by modernising it) and is normally used when there are certain standards that something must meet. In this case, we are likely to use the expression 'to bring something up to standard'.
Examples of usage....
The interior designers are planning to bring the interior of the castle up to date. INTENDED MEANING: The interior designers plan on modernising the interior of the castle.
I had a meeting with Roger earlier and he brought me up to speed with everything that I missed whilst I was on holiday. INTENDED MEANING: Roger gave me all of the latest information about what happened when I was on holiday in our meeting.
The teaching in the school was very poor so a team was sent there to bring it up to standard. INTENDED MEANING: The standard of teaching in the school was not good so a team were despatched there to improve it to the level it should be.
Before I finish the post, I just want to give you a bonus expression featuring our phrasal verb of choice 'bring up'. The expression in question is 'to bring up the rear' and is quite appropriate to have at the end of this post as it means to be the last one of a group or category. This is most often used when talking about the last people in a queue, line or group of people who are going somewhere.
EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to bring up'....
My parents raised me to always stand up for myself.
I have something that I would like to talk about in tomorrow's meeting.
When I searched for concert tickets on the internet it only showed me tickets available in a different country.
Can you please get me some water! It's hot up here on this roof.
I was looking at my phone during the performance but suddenly one song made me stop and pay attention.
Can you please tell me what the latest is with the new project?
EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'LOOK AT' (other variations may be possible)
Look at this picture of me when I was younger!
I love cloudless nights when I can look at the stars.
The doctor wants to look at my injuries and make sure everything is ok.
We are carefully looking at our next options.
If only you would look at it from our perspective!
The way I look at things now is very different to when I was a young man.
That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey.
If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs.
Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'bring up' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James