bring up

English

Etymology

From Middle English bring up, dissimilated from Middle English upbringen (“to bring up, raise”). Doublet of upbring.

Verb

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

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bring,‎ up: To bring from a lower to a higher position.
   • 1953, United States Supreme Court, John Den ex dem. Archibald Russell v. The Association of the Jersey Company, reprinted in the United States Reports, volume 56, page 426:

     This case was brought up by writ of error from the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of New Jersey.

   When you're in the basement, can you bring up the paints?

2. To mention.

   Don't bring up politics if you want to have a quiet conversation with that guy.

3. To raise or rear (children).
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess‎^[1]:

     ‘[…] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. […]’.

   She did well enough bringing up two sons and a daughter on her own.

4. To uncover, to bring from obscurity; to resurface (e.g. a memory)

   A short Internet search brought up some amazing details of this story.

5. To turn on power or start, as of a machine.

   Wait a minute while I bring up my computer.

6. To vomit.

   I was very ill today; I kept bringing up everything I ate.

7. To stop or interrupt a flow or steady motion.
   • 1934, Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance, 1992 Bantam edition, →ISBN, page 91:

     " […] Mr. Wolfe, I beg you—I beg of you—"

     I was sure she was going to cry and I didn't want her to. But Wolfe brusquely brought her up:

     "That's all, Miss Barstow. […] "

   • 1999, Alice Borchardt, Night of the Wolf‎^[2], Ballantine, →ISBN, page 260:

     "No," Maeniel shouted, "No!" trying to distract the man, and lunged toward him. The chain on his ankle brought him up short and he fell on his face.

8. (cricket) To reach a particular score, especially a milestone.

   Warner smacked a four over midwicket to bring up his century.

Synonyms

• (uncover, resurface): bring back

Related terms

• (raise children): upbringing
• bring up the rear
• bring up to

Translations

bring from a lower to a higher position

• Esperanto: levi
• Finnish: tuoda ylös
• German: hochbringen (de), hinaufschaffen (de)
• Macedonian: качува (kačuva), крева (kreva)
• Spanish: levantar (es), alzar (es), traer (es) (desde abajo)
• Venetian: levar

mention

• Finnish: mainita (fi)
• German: erwähnen (de), mit etwas kommen / ankommen (coll.)
• Greek: αναφέρω (el) (anaféro)
• Latin: memorō, obiiciō
• Spanish: traer a colación, sacar a relucir

raise or rear children

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: выхо́ўваць impf (vyxóŭvacʹ), вы́хаваць pf (výxavacʹ)
• Bulgarian: възпита́вам (bg) impf (vǎzpitávam), възпи́там pf (vǎzpítam)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 養／养 (joeng⁵), 養大／养大 (joeng⁵ daai⁶)

• Czech: vychovávat (cs) impf, vychovat pf
• Danish: opdrage (da)
• Dutch: opvoeden (nl)
• Esperanto: kreskigi, eduki (eo)
• Finnish: kasvattaa (fi)
• French: élever (fr)
• Georgian: გაზრდა (gazrda)
• German: erziehen (de), aufziehen (de), großziehen (de), grossziehen (de) (Switzerland and Liechtenstein), aufbringen (de) (obsolete)
• Greek: ανατρέφω (el) (anatréfo), μεγαλώνω (el) (megalóno)

  Ancient: ἀνατρέφω (anatréphō)

• Ido: edukar (io)
• Irish: tóg
• Japanese: 育てる (ja) (そだてる, sodateru)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 키우다 (ko) (kiuda)
• Kyrgyz: тарбиялоо (ky) (tarbiyaloo)
• Latvian: audzināt
• Lithuanian: ugdyti
• Macedonian: воспитува impf (vospituva), воспита pf (vospita), одгледува impf (odgleduva), одгледа pf (odgleda)
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: oppdra

• Polish: wychowywać (pl) impf, wychować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: criar (pt)
• Quechua: watay
• Russian: воспи́тывать (ru) impf (vospítyvatʹ), воспита́ть (ru) pf (vospitátʹ), расти́ть (ru) impf (rastítʹ), вы́растить (ru) pf (výrastitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: tog
• Slovak: vychovávať impf, vychovať pf
• Slovene: vzgajati impf, vzgojiti pf
• Spanish: criar (es)
• Swedish: uppfostra (sv)
• Thai: เลี้ยงดู (th) (líiang-duu), ฟูมฟัก (th) (fuum-fák)
• Ukrainian: вихо́вувати impf (vyxóvuvaty), ви́ховати pf (výxovaty)
• Venetian: norir (vec)
• Vietnamese: nuôi nấng (vi), nuôi (vi)
• Welsh: magu (cy)

stop or interrupt

• Finnish: keskeyttää (fi)
• Greek: διακόπτω (el) (diakópto), σταματάω (el) (stamatáo)
• Spanish: detener (es), interrumpir (es)

Anagrams

• burping, upbring