bring about
Formsbrings about, bringing about, brought about
- 1To cause something to happen or take place.
The arrival of cheap smartphones brought about a shift in how people shop.
Doctors still cannot say what might bring about such a sudden drop in blood pressure.
Similareffect, induce, provoke, engender, instigate
Note
The cause comes first and the result follows straight after the two words: the collapse of the gold standard brought about turmoil, a new law brought about a sea change. A pronoun object splits the pair, so people ask what brought it about, never what brought about it. In the passive the cause moves behind by: the crisis was brought about by years of neglect.
- 2To achieve or accomplish something, such as an aim or a result.
The new mayor promised to bring about real reform within her first term.
Through patient diplomacy, the envoy brought about an agreement that had eluded everyone before him.
Similarcomplete, fulfill, realize, effectuate
Note
Here someone is working toward the result rather than merely causing it: a mayor promising reform, an envoy securing an agreement, a hope for a successful conclusion. Its near neighbors are pull off, carry out and realize, not lead to or result in. When the subject is a circumstance rather than a person with an aim, the plain causal meaning is the one at work.
Practice
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