brought

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɹɔːt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /bɹɔt/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /bɹɑt/

• Audio (US-merged)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːt

Verb

brought

1. simple past tense and past participle of bring

Usage notes

It is somewhat common to hear native English speakers (particularly in Australia, New Zealand and Britain) using "brought" when in place of "bought" (and vice versa) despite the fact that the two words mean different things [1][2]. Sometimes this variation makes its way into print[3], [4], [5].