Brought vs. Bought

Can you tell the difference between these two sentences?

My father brought me a toy.

My father bought me a toy.

Brought and bought are two words that look similar because of their spelling but have two completely different meanings.

First, let us take a look at the main definitions of both words.

Brought (past tense of "bring"): to have taken or gone to a place with someone or something

Bought (past tense of "buy"): to obtain something in exchange for payment

Now, let’s break down the first sentence above.

My father brought me a toy.

In this example, the subject’s father took a toy and transported it to another place with him. In other words, he delivered the toy to his child.

What about the second sentence?

My father bought me a toy.

In this case, the subject’s father used a form of payment to purchase the toy as a gift for his child.

Other common definitions of "brought"

to have caused (someone or something) to come to a place

Example: What brings you here?

to have caused (someone or something) to move in a certain direction

Example: She brought her hands out of her pockets.

to have caused (something)

Example: The lack of rain brought about drought.

to have caused (someone or something) to be in a certain state or condition

Example: The new policy brought the country to a state of calamity.

to have initiated (legal action) against someone

Example: Charges will be brought against the perpetrator.

to have forced oneself to do something

Example: He brought himself to confess his crimes

Other common definitions of "bought"

to have obtained the loyalty and support of (someone)

Example: He was bought by bribes.

(informal) to have believed or accepted as the truth

Example: I don’t buy that he said something nice about me.

Simple rule of thumb

As a simple rule of thumb, if the word you are meaning to use involves the purchasing of something, whether it is of a physical object, service, or even an abstract idea like happiness, use bought. If the word you are meaning to use is related to taking something and going to another place with it or causing something to happen, then you should probably use brought.

Practice questions

The new film by my favorite director brought/bought me to tears at the end.
I brought/bought a new phone with the money I earned from my part-time jobs.
Bob brought/bought his little sister to Disneyland and California Adventure over the weekend.
Gabriel learned the hard way that happiness can’t be brought/bought with money.
What brought/bought you here to this part of town?
Nelly brought/bought it on herself when her friends found out she lied to them.
Nade finally brought/bought himself to apologize to her after five years.
Were you the one who brought/bought your purchase with a gift card?
William brought/bought some limited edition shoes online to add to his shoe collection.
Mose brought/bought himself a newer and faster computer so he could play games without any lag.