Meaning & use
boast
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitivedisapproving
To talk with too much pride about what you have done or own.
Grammar: Often takes about or of: boast about his wealth; or a that clause: he boasted that he had won.
Patterns
- boast about something
- boast that
He likes to boast about his new car.
She boasted that she had never lost a game.
Don't boast of your success to people who struggled.
verbtransitiveformal
To have a good or impressive feature.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually a thing that is a place or building: the hotel boasts a pool.
Patterns
- boast something
The city boasts several excellent museums.
The new phone boasts a longer battery life.
The hotel boasts views of the whole bay.
nouncountable
A statement in which someone praises their own achievements or possessions.
Grammar: Often follows empty or proud: an empty boast.
Patterns
- make a boast
His boast that he could run a marathon turned out to be false.
It was a proud boast, and he kept it.
Word forms
| third person singular | boasts |
|---|---|
| past tense | boasted |
| past participle | boasted |
| -ing form | boasting |
Common combinations
- boast about
- She boasted about her grades.
- boast of
- He boasted of his connections.
- idle boast
- His promise was an idle boast.
- proud boast
- It was their proud boast that nobody had been late.
- boast a record
- The team boasts an unbeaten record.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brag
- Brag is more informal and sounds childish, while boast can sound slightly more serious.
- show off
- Show off is about displaying skill or things, not just talking about them.
- gloat
- Gloat means to take smug pleasure in another's failure, which boast does not require.
- flaunt
- Flaunt is about displaying something openly to impress others, rather than speaking.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: boast or toast?
boast vs toast
Boast and toast sound alike, but toast is browned bread or a drink raised in honor of someone.
Practice
The resort ____ three swimming pools and a private beach.
Choose one answer.
Boasts of is used for a place that has impressive features. Brag and gloat describe people talking, and shows lacks this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “boast”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.