This is one of the most useful everyday meanings. When you bring someone in, you involve them in a situation, project, or conversation where they weren’t before. Companies bring in consultants when they need outside expertise. Police bring in suspects for questioning. A friend might say “Let me bring in my brother—he knows a lot about cars” when you’re having trouble with your vehicle. It’s about adding someone to the mix because their presence or skills are needed.
Vivid example: The struggling restaurant decided to bring in a famous chef as a consultant, hoping her fresh ideas and reputation would transform the business before they were forced to close their doors permanently.

When a person, business, or activity brings in money, it earns or generates that income. You might hear someone say “My side job brings in an extra thousand dollars a month” or “The new product line is bringing in huge profits.” A salesperson who brings in big clients is valuable to the company. A rental property brings in passive income. It’s all about money flowing in as a result of work, investment, or activity.
Vivid example: Her online tutoring business brought in enough money to cover her rent and student loans, giving her financial freedom she had never expected from something she had started just as a hobby during lockdown.

This is the most literal, physical meaning—moving something from outside to inside. When it starts raining, you bring in the laundry from the line. You bring in the groceries from the car. Parents tell children to bring in the dog before dinner. A host might bring in more chairs from another room when extra guests arrive. It’s simple physical movement from outside to inside a space.
Vivid example: The storm arrived faster than expected, and she had to run outside to bring in all the garden furniture before the wind scattered it across the neighborhood like toys thrown by an angry giant.

Governments and organizations bring in new policies, laws, and regulations all the time. You might hear on the news that “The government is planning to bring in stricter environmental regulations next year” or “The company brought in a new dress code that nobody likes.” Schools bring in new curriculum requirements. Countries bring in visa restrictions. It’s about officially introducing and implementing something new.
Vivid example: When the company brought in a policy requiring employees to track every minute of their workday, morale plummeted so quickly that management reversed the decision within a month after losing three of their best people.

In courtrooms, juries bring in verdicts—they deliver their official decision about whether someone is guilty or innocent. You’ll hear this in news reports: “The jury brought in a verdict of not guilty after just two hours of deliberation” or “Everyone expected a quick conviction, but the jury brought in a surprising acquittal.” It’s the formal announcement of their conclusion.
Vivid example: After five days of tense deliberation, the jury finally brought in a guilty verdict, and the victim’s family collapsed into tears of relief as the man who had terrorized them for years was led away in handcuffs.

Efforts, investments, and work bring in results—the outcomes they produce. A farmer’s fields bring in a good harvest or a poor one depending on the weather. Marketing campaigns bring in new customers. Hard work brings in rewards eventually. You’re talking about what something yields or produces as an outcome of effort or conditions.
Vivid example: The unusual summer weather brought in the best apple harvest the orchard had seen in twenty years, with trees so heavy with fruit that workers had to prop up branches to keep them from snapping under the weight.

This specific phrase is extremely common in crime dramas and news reports. When police bring someone in for questioning, they take that person to the station to answer questions about a crime—they might be a suspect, a witness, or just someone with relevant information. It doesn’t necessarily mean arrest, but it’s serious enough that you’re going to the police station.
Vivid example: The detective decided to bring in the victim’s neighbor for questioning after discovering that he had lied about his whereabouts on the night of the murder and had recently purchased a suspiciously large amount of cleaning supplies.