Brood: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：dwell on (brood)

brood 🔊

/bruːd/

To think a lot about something that makes you feel sad, angry, or worried.

Brood definition illustrated: person deep in troubled thought by a window

dwell on 🔊

➕

/dwɛl ɒn/

To think persistently and unhappily about something troubling.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'brōd,' meaning 'a brood of young birds,' extended to 'to think deeply or worry.'

💡 Mnemonic

A bird broods on eggs; you brood on problems.

📖 Example

After failing the test, she spent the whole weekend brooding over it instead of going out with friends. 🔊 After failing the test, she spent the entire weekend dwelling on it rather than socializing with friends.

🔗 Collocations

brood over – to think deeply and sadly about something

brood on – to ponder anxiously about something

brood about – to worry or think excessively about something

🔄 Synonyms

dwell (v.) – to think or talk persistently about something

fret (v.) – to be constantly or visibly worried

ruminate (v.) – to think deeply about something

🚫 Antonyms

ignore (v.) – to refuse to take notice of or acknowledge

overlook (v.) – to fail to notice or consider

🌱 Derivatives

brooding (adj.) – showing deep unhappiness of thought

brooder (n.) – a person who broods

📖 Cultural Story

Brood originates from Old English brōd, related to German Brut, initially denoting a group of hatched young birds. It evolved metaphorically to describe anxious pondering, akin to a bird incubating eggs.