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boast¹

(bōst)

v. boast·ed, boast·ing, boasts

v.intr.

To talk or write about oneself or something related to oneself in a proud or self-admiring way.

v.tr.

1. To say (something about oneself) in a proud or self-admiring way.

2. To have or possess (a desirable feature): a mall that boasts 80 shops.

1. The act or an instance of boasting: got tired of listening to his boasts.

2. A source of pride.

[Middle English bosten, from bost, a brag.]

boaster n.

boastful adj.

boastful·ly adv.

boastful·ness n.

Synonyms: boast¹, brag, crow², vaunt
These verbs all mean to speak with pride, often excessive pride, about oneself or something related to oneself. Boast is the most general: "We confide [that is, have confidence] in our strength, without boasting of it; we respect that of others, without fearing it" (Thomas Jefferson).
Brag implies exaggerated claims and often an air of insolent superiority: He bragged about his grades. Crow stresses exultation and often loud rejoicing: No candidate should crow until the votes have been counted. Vaunt suggests ostentatiousness and lofty extravagance of expression: "He did not vaunt of his new dignity, but I understood he was highly pleased with it" (James Boswell).

boast²

(bōst)

tr.v. boast·ed, boast·ing, boasts

To shape or form (stone) roughly with a broad chisel.

[Origin unknown.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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