Meaning trap
bring in
involve for expertise
to ask someone to take part in a discussion, project, or activity, especially because they have special knowledge or skills.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to ask someone to take part in a discussion, project, or activity, especially because they have special knowledge or skills.
'bring in' also has the more basic meaning 'introduce or implement'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- 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
Fix the pattern
Pattern: bring in + person/expert/outsider (to do something)
WrongThey brought in with a specialist.
RightThey brought in a specialist.
'Bring in' takes the object directly — no 'with'.
Patternbring in + person/expert/outsider (to do something)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Bring in' is the everyday verb for calling in an expert; 'engaged an external consultant' is corporate.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
bring in + experta consultantan expertspecialistshelp
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.