Brung

In Southern and Appalachian speech, brung is the nonstandard past tense of "bring", widely used in everyday conversation and familiar from sayings like "Dance with the one that brung you."

#SouthernWords #Appalachia #Mispronunciation #Southern

synonyms: brought, fetched, toted, carried

Hillbilly Dude Says...

You'll hear 'brung' all day long out in the country.

Hillbilly Dude Says...

You'll hear 'brung' all day long out in the country.

Pronunciation

[BRUNG]
/brʌŋ/

Meaning & Usage

- Past tense of "bring" (dialect verb form)

Mae:

Who brung the casserole?

Earl:

Betsy brung it - same as always.

★ "Brung" shows how older English verb patterns hang on in the mountains - it’s not "wrong," it’s regional. Folks often switch to "brought" in formal writing, but in speech, brung feels natural and homegrown. ★

Origin and Etymology

"Brung" reflects an older English strong-verb pattern similar to "sing/sang/sung" or "ring/rang/rung." Although "brought" became the standard form, the variant survived in Southern and Appalachian dialects due to historical speech patterns brought by early settlers and reinforced by rural isolation and oral tradition.

Usage Notes

"Brung" remains common in rural Southern and Appalachian communities and is widely recognized across the United States, though strongly associated with informal, folksy, or dialectal speech. It appears frequently in stories, humor, and set phrases but rarely in formal writing.

Often used in everyday conversation among older speakers.
Common in traditional sayings, especially "Dance with the one that brung you."
Appears in written dialogue to represent regional speech.
Standard English uses "brought," but "brung" is entrenched in dialect.

Kin Topics

Common Questions

Is "brung" wrong?

It’s nonstandard in formal English, but perfectly normal in Southern and Appalachian speech.

Where is it most common?

Rural South, Appalachia, and among older or tradition-minded speakers.

Does "brung" show up in writing?

Primarily in dialogue or dialect writing, or in folksy expressions and slogans.

Is it the same meaning as "brought"?

Yes - it is simply a regional past tense form of the same verb.

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, December 5). Brung. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/brung
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Brung." HillbillySlang.com, 5 Dec. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/brung.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Brung." HillbillySlang.com. December 5, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/brung.