bring round

persuade someone to agree with your opinion

C1

What does "bring sb round" mean?

To bring someone round means to successfully persuade them to change a position they were previously opposed to. The key nuance is resistance: the person being brought round was not simply undecided — they actively disagreed, doubted, or objected, and you have overcome that opposition. This makes it stronger and more specific than simply 'convincing' someone. It is most at home in formal and semi-formal contexts: boardroom negotiations, political debate, committee discussions, or high-stakes professional disagreements. It is also distinctly British English — American speakers would typically say 'bring around' or 'win over' instead. The persuasion is often described as a gradual process, which is why you will frequently see it paired with adverbs like 'eventually', 'finally', or 'gradually'.

Examples

How to use it

bring + person + round (to + idea/proposal/position)

The most common structure: a person or group receives the persuasion, often followed by 'to' plus what they are being persuaded of.

After lengthy negotiations, the team managed to bring the board round to accepting the revised budget.

bring + pronoun + round

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'bring' and 'round' — placing it after the particle is ungrammatical.

The figures were compelling, but it still took three meetings to bring them round.

manage/try/hope to + bring + person + round

The infinitive construction is especially natural, often signalling effort or difficulty in achieving persuasion.

She hoped to bring the most sceptical committee members round before the vote was called.

be brought round (to + idea/proposal)

The passive is natural and common when the focus is on the person persuaded rather than the persuader, often with 'eventually' or 'gradually'.

Even the most vocal critics were eventually brought round to the proposal after the pilot results were published.

bring round + longer noun phrase

With longer or more complex noun phrase objects, the unseparated form sounds equally natural.

It took months of careful lobbying to bring round the members who had voted against the merger.

Common Collocations

bring round to the ideabring round the scepticsbring round to your way of thinkingbring round the oppositionfinally bring roundmanage to bring round

Common Mistakes

Pronoun placed after the particle

With pronoun objects, the pronoun must come between 'bring' and 'round'. Placing it after the particle produces an ungrammatical sentence.

✗ We finally managed to bring round them to our position.
✓ We finally managed to bring them round to our position.
Confusing with 'win over'

'Win over' is more neutral and works in both British and American English, but 'bring round' specifically implies overcoming strong prior resistance or opposition. Using 'bring round' in a context where there is no resistance can sound odd.

✗ The presentation was so clear that it easily brought round the audience who were already enthusiastic.
✓ The presentation was so clear that it easily won over the audience who were already enthusiastic.
Using the present or past continuous

Because 'bring round' describes the outcome of a persuasion process rather than a moment-by-moment activity, the present and past continuous both sound unnatural. Use the past simple, present perfect, or infinitive constructions instead.

✗ She is bringing the investors round to the idea right now.
✓ She has brought the investors round to the idea.

Usage

This is mainly British English; American speakers say 'bring around' instead. It is more formal than 'win over' and typically implies overcoming strong initial resistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'bring round' always need 'to' after it?

Not always, but adding 'to' plus what the person is persuaded of makes your sentence much more natural and specific — for example, 'bring them round to the idea' or 'bring her round to our way of thinking'. Without 'to', the sentence is still grammatical ('we finally brought them round'), but it can sound slightly incomplete if the context hasn't already made the point of disagreement clear.

Is 'bring round' used in American English?

It is understood in American English but not the typical choice — American speakers generally say 'bring around' or 'win over' instead. If you are writing for an American audience or in an international context, 'win over' is the safer option.

Does 'bring round' always mean persuasion? I've seen it used in other ways.

Yes, 'bring round' has other senses — for example, it can mean to revive someone from unconsciousness, or to bring something to someone's home. This entry covers only the persuasion sense. A reliable clue is the presence of a 'to' phrase referring to an idea or position, or a context of debate and disagreement, which clearly signals the persuasion meaning.

Can I use 'bring round' when someone just needed a little gentle convincing?

It would sound slightly off. 'Bring round' carries a strong implication of overcoming genuine resistance or opposition — the person was firmly against something before they changed their mind. For lighter or easier persuasion, 'persuade' or 'win over' would be more natural choices.

What kinds of people or groups are typically 'brought round'?

The verb most naturally collocates with people who are sceptical, reluctant, or opposed: sceptics, critics, the opposition, reluctant board members, doubtful colleagues, or stubborn investors. Using it with people who were neutral or already open-minded tends to sound unnatural, because the sense of overcoming resistance is central to the meaning.

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