bring down

See also: bringdown

English

Verb

bring down (third-person singular simple present brings down, present participle bringing down, simple past and past participle brought down)

1. (transitive) To make a ruler or government lose their position of power.

   The rebel forces are trying to bring down the president and his government.

2. (transitive) To reduce.

   The latest budget reforms are intended to bring down the level of inflation.

   • 2012 October 23, David Leonhardt, New York Times, retrieved 24 October 2012:

     The causes of income stagnation are varied and lack the political simplicity of calls to bring down the deficit or avert another Wall Street meltdown.

3. (transitive) To humble.
4. (transitive) To make something, especially something flying, fall to the ground, usually by firing a weapon of some kind.

   He brought down a pheasant with his first shot of the day.

   For survival off-the-grid, one should have a gun that can bring down most animals without damaging their meat.

5. (sports, transitive) To cause an opponent to fall after a tackle.
   • 2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Kalinic later saw red for a rash tackle on Paul Scharner before Gabriel Tamas was dismissed for bringing down Diouf.

6. (transitive) To make someone feel bad emotionally.

   The news of his death brought her down.

   • 1994, Green Day (lyrics and music), “Basket Case”:

     I went to a shrink, to analyze my dreams / He said it's lack of sex that's bringing me down

   • 2013 May 31, Echosmith, Jeffery David, and Jesiah Dzwonek, “Cool Kids”, in Talking Dreams‎^[2], performed by Echosmith:

     Nothing in this world could / Ever bring them down / Yeah, they're invincible / And she's just in the background

7. To cause to fall down, e.g. in an accident.
   • 1961 November, “Talking of Trains: Derailment near Holmes Chapel”, in Trains Illustrated, page 652:

     From the evidence of witnesses and of the recorded passing times, including the time at which the circuit breakers were tripped when the wires were brought down, the train was travelling at a speed of not less than 70 m.p.h.

Usage notes

The object may appear before or after the particle. If the object is a pronoun, then it must be before the particle.

Synonyms

• (to make something fall to the ground): shoot down
• (in sports: to cause an opponent to fall after a tackle): harsh one's mellow

See also

• bring down the curtain
• bring down the house