boasts
boasts — verb
- boastspresent simple I / you / we / they
- boastses3rd person singular
- boastsing-ing form
- boastsedpast simple
1. to talk about your own successes, possessions, or abilities in a proud way that
to talk about your own successes, possessions, or abilities in a proud way that often annoys or irritates other people because it seems too self-important
Noa boasted about scoring the highest marks in the whole class this semester.
boast about + noun phrase
Ryan's father kept boasting about his son's basketball awards at every family dinner.
Feng never boasted about his wealth, even though his family owned several businesses.
Marta told her colleagues she was not boasting when she mentioned her marathon time.
The young athlete boasted to reporters that her team had won every match this season.
- humble oneself
to speak or behave in a modest, unassuming way
文法句型
boast + about + noun phrase
boast + that-clause
boast + of + noun phrase
boast + to + someone
用法筆記
Frequently used with about or that-clause. The intransitive pattern (boast about + noun) is more common in everyday conversation than the formal boast of pattern.
常見錯誤
2. to have a feature, facility, or quality that you can be proud of — used especial
to have a feature, facility, or quality that you can be proud of — used especially about places, organizations, or things, not people
The small coastal town boasts a beautiful old lighthouse that dates back to 1872.
place + boasts + desirable feature
This hotel boasts three swimming pools and a private beach for its guests.
The university library boasts one of the largest collections of ancient manuscripts in Asia.
Tariro's farm boasts over two hundred olive trees and a small vineyard.
The garden boasts a wide variety of native plants that attract butterflies every summer.
- possess
more formal; simply states ownership without the proud tone
- feature
verb; often used in marketing or descriptive writing
- can be proud of
phrase; more modest in tone
文法句型
place/organization + boasts + noun phrase
用法筆記
This sense does NOT carry a negative or arrogant meaning — it simply states that something has an impressive feature. The subject is almost always a place, building, organization, or collection rather than a person.
常見錯誤
boasts — noun
- boastssingular
- boastsesplural
1. something that a person, group, or place owns, has achieved, or is connected wit
something that a person, group, or place owns, has achieved, or is connected with, which gives them a strong feeling of pride and which they like to tell others about
The town's main boast is its annual cherry blossom festival that draws global visitors.
possessive: main boast of a place
Eve's greatest boast was that she had climbed Mount Fuji before her twentieth birthday.
The new school is a major boast for the village after years of local fundraising.
Bilal considers his collection of rare stamps his proudest boast among his friends.
- pride
more general; pride is the feeling, while a boast is the specific thing that causes it
- pride and joy
idiomatic; emphasises an emotional attachment to the thing
- claim to fame
informal; something that makes a person or place well known
用法筆記
Often used with a possessive (town's boast, his greatest boast). The focus is on the thing itself being a source of pride, not on the act of talking about it.
2. a spoken or written statement in which someone expresses too much pride in their
a spoken or written statement in which someone expresses too much pride in their own achievements, possessions, or qualities in a way that may annoy other people
Felipe's boast that he could speak six languages turned out to be completely true.
boast + that-clause for a claim
Bilal made an empty boast about winning the competition, but he had not even entered.
collocation: empty boast
The politician's boast about lowering taxes was met with deep skepticism from voters.
Aisha's boast that her team would finish the project early seemed unlikely to everyone present.
- brag
noun form less common; usually used as a verb
- claim
neutral term; a boast is a claim made with excessive pride
- pretension
formal; often suggests the claim is exaggerated or false
- understatement
a statement that deliberately makes something seem less impressive than it really is
用法筆記
Commonly followed by a that-clause specifying what was claimed. The phrase empty boast describes a statement that sounds impressive but has no real basis.