boast

1 of 3

noun

ˈbōst 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• credit
• crown jewel
• glory
• honor
• jewel
• pride
• treasure
• trophy

Verb (1)

• blow
• brag
• bull [slang]
• crow
• gasconade
• swagger
• vapor
• vaunt

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.

Verb (1)

he boasted about his latest killing in real estate so I thought he should be the one to pay for dinner

the hotel boasts nearly 50 rooms

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While 2024 and 2025 boast franchise-rich movie slates, Wall Street doesn’t expect ticket sales to top $10 billion domestically until 2026. —Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2024

At their peak, cable subscribers had access to and paid for 200+ channels (well below the boast cable TV pioneer John Malone’s made in 1992 of a 500-channel universe) and watched fewer than 10% of them. —Brad Adgate, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024

Verb

This two-story home boasts a generous living space with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. —Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

Located just off the Las Vegas Strip and boasting 703 rooms and a 94,065 sq ft casino, the Palms was built in the late 1990s by Vegas impresario George Maloof. —Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024

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

Kids Definition

boast

1 of 2 noun

ˈbōst 

1

: the act of boasting

2

: a cause for pride

boastful

ˈbōst-fəl 

adjective

boastfully

-fə-lē 

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