bring in — involve for expertise
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutralcommon
to ask someone to take part in a discussion, project, or activity, especially because they have special knowledge or skills.
Say it like a native
Textbook We engaged an external consultant to advise on the matter.
Native We brought in a consultant to advise us.
'Bring in' is the everyday verb for calling in an expert; 'engaged an external consultant' is corporate.
Pattern: bring in + person/expert/outsider (to do something)
In use
- The company decided to bring in an external mediator to help resolve the dispute.workplace
- In situations where internal resources are insufficient, organisations often bring in outside experts to provide fresh perspectives and specialised knowledge.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ They brought in with a specialist.
✓ They brought in a specialist.
'Bring in' takes the object directly — no 'with'.
Common collocations
bring in + expert— a consultant, an expert, specialists, help
Don't confuse it
This sense is different from 'bring in' meaning 'introduce a law or system' (B2) or 'earn money' (B1). Here, the focus is on involving a person for their expertise, not on introducing things or generating income.
Related
- bring in (introduce or implement) — 'bring in' also has the more basic meaning 'introduce or implement'; this is the advanced sense.