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bring down meaning and examples

2025-09-12

Meaning

The phrasal verb bring down has several meanings depending on the context:

  1. To cause something to fall or collapse (e.g., bring down a building, an airplane).
  2. To reduce or lower something (e.g., bring down the price, bring down costs).
  3. To defeat or remove from power (e.g., bring down a government, bring down an opponent).
  4. To make someone unhappy or depressed (e.g., bad news can bring you down).

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Phrasal verb (transitive).
  • Structure: bring down + object
  • Can be used literally or figuratively depending on context.

Examples of sentence structures:

  • bring down + noun → "They brought down the dictator."
  • bring + something + down → "They brought the prices down."

Common Phrases

  • bring down the house = to make the audience clap and cheer loudly.
  • bring down the cost = to reduce expenses.
  • bring down the curtain = to end something (metaphor from theater).

Collocations

  • bring down prices/costs
  • bring down a building/plane
  • bring down the government
  • bring down inflation
  • bring down someone’s mood

Examples

  1. The storm brought down several trees in the neighborhood.
  2. The company is trying to bring down production costs.
  3. Protesters hope to bring down the corrupt government.
  4. The comedian’s joke brought down the house with laughter.
  5. The constant criticism really brought him down.
  6. The new technology could bring down energy consumption.
  7. The scandal was enough to bring down the politician.
  8. The firefighters managed to bring down the flames.
  • reduce
  • lower
  • topple
  • overthrow
  • depress

Antonym

  • raise
  • lift
  • increase
  • boost