What does it Mean to ‘Bring (something) to the Table’?

To bring something to the table means to contribute something to a group effort; to provide or offer something useful to a shared task or activity.

Imagine a group of people sitting around a table and discussing a group task. They are pooling their resources; they are offering whatever useful thing they have to contribute to this activity. They are contemplating what everyone can bring to the table.

For example —

“Appointing the former player as a coach is a masterstroke. He is bringing years of experience to the table.”

It means the coach has a lot of experience which will benefit the team immensely.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.