To bring up a subject means to introduce it or mention it in conversation — nothing is actually being carried or lifted anywhere.
What Does Bring Up Mean?
Literal bring involves carrying something from one place to another. So what exactly is being "brought," and where is it going, when you "bring up" a topic?
I didn't want to bring up the exam results at dinner, but my brother did anyway.
Nowhere. Nothing physical moves at all. "Bringing up" a subject simply means introducing it into the conversation or starting to talk about it — even one that's completely new to everyone listening.
Natural Examples
She brought up the idea of moving house during dinner.
I know it's awkward, but someone has to bring it up.
He keeps bringing up the same argument from last year.
Please don't bring up my cooking again.
Can You Separate It?
Yes. Bring up is separable: a noun object can go in the middle or at the end, but a pronoun must go in the middle.
With a noun, both places are fine.
✅ Bring up the topic.
✅ Bring the topic up.
With it, him, her, them, the small word must go in the middle.
✅ Bring it up.
❌ Bring up it.
How to Use It
The main everyday meaning is mentioning a topic:
- My manager brought up the deadline again in the meeting.
- I hate to bring this up, but you still owe me ten dollars.
One other meaning is genuinely useful to know, even though it's quite different: bring up can also mean raising a child.
She was brought up by her grandparents in a small village.
Context makes it obvious which one is meant: a topic gets "brought up" in a conversation, a person gets "brought up" over years of childhood.
Common Mistakes
A pronoun can't go at the end.
❌ Let's not bring up it again.
✅ Let's not bring it up again.
Topic or child? Context decides.
❌ Assuming "bring up" always means mentioning something.
✅ She brought up three kids on her own is about raising children, not conversation.
In a Conversation
Sam: Can I bring something up? It might be a bit sensitive.
Priya: Go ahead.
Sam: Your cat keeps sitting on my laptop during calls.
Priya: ...Fair. I'll bring it up with her directly.
Easy Way to Remember It
As a memory trick, picture a topic below the surface, and "bringing it up" as pulling it up into the conversation, into the open, where everyone can finally see it.
Similar Expressions
- raise a topic: a slightly more formal equivalent. She raised the issue of parking during the meeting.
- mention something: a plainer, more neutral word for saying something briefly. He mentioned he might be late.