boast

1 of 3

noun

1
: a statement expressing excessive pride in oneself : the act or an instance of boasting (see boast entry 2) : brag
It may sound like a boast, but I truly am very wealthy.
2
: a cause for pride

boast

2 of 3

verb (1)

boasted; boasting; boasts

intransitive verb

1
: to praise oneself extravagantly in speech : speak of oneself with excessive pride
boasting about her accomplishments
2
archaic : glory, exult

transitive verb

1
: to speak of or assert with excessive pride
He liked to boast that he was the richest man in town.
2
a
: to possess and often call attention to (something that is a source of pride)
boasts a new stadium
b
: have, contain
a room boasting no more than a desk and a chair
boaster noun

boast

3 of 3

verb (2)

boasted; boasting; boasts

transitive verb

: to shape (stone) roughly in sculpture and stonecutting as a preliminary to finer work
Choose the Right Synonym for boast

boast, brag, vaunt, crow mean to express pride in oneself or one's accomplishments.

boast often suggests ostentation and exaggeration

boasts of every trivial success

, but it may imply a claiming with proper and justifiable pride.

the town boasts one of the best museums in the area

brag suggests crudity and artlessness in glorifying oneself.

bragging of their exploits

vaunt usually connotes more pomp and bombast than boast and less crudity or naïveté than brag.

vaunted his country's military might

crow usually implies exultant boasting or bragging.

crowed after winning the championship

Examples of boast in a Sentence

Noun When he says he's the richest man in town, he's not just making an idle boast. We were offended by his boast that he would easily beat us. The museum's proudest boast is its collection of rare gems.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Despite Putin’s boasts, the Russian state has a primitive reliance on raw materials, especially oil, for its revenues. Tim Lister, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024 Social media amplifies boasts beyond people’s family and friendship groups — and thus above their spending thresholds. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for boast 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb (1)

Middle English boost

Verb (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of boast was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near boast

Cite this Entry

“Boast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boast. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

boast

1 of 2 noun
1
: the act of boasting
2
: a cause for pride
boastful adjective
boastfully adverb
boastfulness noun

boast

2 of 2 verb
1
: to praise one's own possessions, qualities, or accomplishments
2
: to have and display proudly
our band boasted new uniforms
boaster noun

More from Merriam-Webster on boast

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