brave
Americanadjective
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braver,
comparative
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bravest
superlative
noun
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braves
plural
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(used with a plural verb) the brave. courageous people, collectively.
the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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Sometimes Offensive. a warrior, especially among North American Indian tribes.
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Obsolete.
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a bully.
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a boast or challenge.
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verb (used with object)
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braves,
present (3rd person singular)
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braved,
past participle, past
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braving
present participle
verb (used without object)
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braves,
present (3rd person singular)
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braved,
past participle, past
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braving
present participle
adjective
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having or displaying courage, resolution, or daring; not cowardly or timid
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( as collective noun preceded by the )
the brave
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fine; splendid
a brave sight
a brave attempt
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archaic excellent or admirable
noun
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a warrior of a Native American tribe
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an obsolete word for bully 1
verb
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to dare or defy
to brave the odds
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to confront with resolution or courage
to brave the storm
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obsolete to make splendid, esp in dress
Sensitivity
See powwow.
Synonym Usage
Brave, courageous, valiant, fearless, gallant refer to confident bearing in the face of difficulties or dangers. Brave is the most comprehensive: it is especially used of that confident fortitude or daring that actively faces and endures anything threatening. Courageous implies a higher or nobler kind of bravery, especially as resulting from an inborn quality of mind or spirit that faces or endures perils or difficulties without fear and even with enthusiasm. Valiant implies a correspondence between an inner courageousness and external deeds, particularly of physical strength or endurance. Fearless implies unflinching spirit and coolness in the face of danger. Gallant implies a chivalrous, impetuous, or dashing bravery.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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bravenessnoun
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braverynoun
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overbravenessnoun
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superbravenessnoun
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unbravenessnoun
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overbraveadjective
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quasi-braveadjective
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superbraveadjective
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unbraveadjective
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unbravedadjective
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bravelyadverb
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overbravelyadverb
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quasi-bravelyadverb
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superbravelyadverb
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unbravelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bravesimple
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bravessimple
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have bravedperfect
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has bravedperfect
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am bravingprogressive
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are bravingprogressive
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is bravingprogressive
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have been bravingperfect progressive
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has been bravingperfect progressive
Past
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bravedsimple
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had bravedperfect
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was bravingprogressive
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were bravingprogressive
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had been bravingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of brave
First recorded in 1475–85; from Middle French, from Spanish bravo, either from Italian or directly from unattested Vulgar Latin brabus for Latin barbarus barbarous
Explanation
Courageous, dauntless, perhaps a little bit daring, a person who is brave faces dangerous or difficult situations with courage. The adjective brave can be used to describe anyone or anything that displays courage, such as a brave firefighter, a brave guide dog, or even brave holiday shoppers. In addition to its adjective form, the word brave can also act as a verb. Use the verb brave when you want to say that someone is facing a dangerous or unpleasant situation courageously: “Only the hardiest skiers were able to brave the icy conditions and complete the course.” Both adjective and verb forms of the word share a common meaning — the sense of having courage or acting fearlessly.
Vocabulary lists containing brave
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 1
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Native American History - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Having the Clark open, facing Hill Street — which can get rough — is so brave of them,” said Marsak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Reading Mr. Barnes’s account of life in Kyiv, it is difficult to say how long the brave Ukrainian spirit can hold out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Tesla investors and customers should be grateful that they bankrolled this brave new world.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
"The industry is littered with these examples of fantastic technologies and teams that do brave things that take decades," Mummery says.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
“Just saying. Lots of room. Very clean. Maybe too clean, but still. Comforting to have a brave soul about. I’d feel protected.”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
That’s when she braves the sport’s gnarliest crashes to master tricks so dangerous that her opponents won’t even dare to attempt them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Hansi Flick's - predominantly - young braves were confirmed as La Liga champions with a 2-0 win at Espanyol on Thursday, having already won the Copa del Rey in April.
From BBC ● May 15, 2025
Javier Galicia braves the bitter cold to clear snow from a sidewalk along 4th Ave. in Minneapolis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2022
Pity the poor pedestrian who braves Seattle’s sidewalks.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2021
Muhammad braves that one pretty well against the reds from Michigan, the yellows from Ohio, the purples from Minnesota, the oranges from Iowa, and the greens from Indiana.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
“Scammed” doesn’t pass judgment on the people who’ve been scammed—it’s evident that they’re hard enough on themselves, though some of the braver souls submit to telling their stories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
She added: "Inside your work, you're braver because you have your colleagues around to support you."
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
"If we want to make the change we were sent into government to make, we have to be braver," the Manchester MP added.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Nevertheless, the call from Angela Rayner, Sir Keir's former deputy, for Labour to take this as a "wake up call" and become "braver" was notably forthright.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Maybe there was something to be said for learning how to do that, how to make the braver choice.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
“We’re trying to figure out who the 3% are, because they are the bravest people on earth.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
She added: "This group of women are without doubt the best, bravest and smartest women you could ever know and I am so very proud of us all."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
He is the loudest possible proof that you do not need a gun to be the bravest man on the hill.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Lithgow, reprising his Olivier-winning performance, is at once terrifying and never anything less than human in one of the bravest performances of the Broadway season.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Sometimes the bravest thing on earth was to sit through the night and feel the cold in your bones.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
“We must do what we can to protect Brazil’s democracy,” said Karina da Silva Pereira, a 50-year-old lawyer in São Paulo, who braved torrential rains to vote for da Silva.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Last winter, food began to run low as fewer volunteers braved the road to deliver supplies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Hundreds of fans braved temperatures of around 40C outside T-Mobile Arena for the ceremonial event on Friday evening.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Crowds of dedicated diners braved the 90-degree heat to line up around the ’50s-style restaurant and took in the sights, sounds and smells of Heart’s for one last time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
And Kim who must have braved telling Adam.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
But either way, there’s no braving this journey alone.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
While the thought of braving the outside world may feel like the last thing you want to do, daylight can be a saviour when you are tired.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
She goes from wanting to be a trophy wife with nothing to do, to braving a world that isn’t built for her, dressing and acting like she already has a seat at the table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
More than a million pilgrims have poured into Saudi Arabia from across the world for the annual Hajj in Mecca, braving a war that has laid bare the Middle East’s modern fault lines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
Maybe I should’ve joined band and played piano, gotten some recognition before working my way up to singing in the chorus, then maybe a duet with someone cool, and then maybe braving a solo.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
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