dare
to have the necessary courage or boldness for something; be bold enough: You wouldn't dare!
to meet defiantly; face courageously:They dared the waves of the North Atlantic.
to challenge or provoke (a person) into a demonstration of courage; defy: We dared him to show up at school dressed that way.
to have the necessary courage or boldness to (used chiefly in questions and negatives): How dare you speak to me like that? He dare not mention the subject again.
a challenge or provocation posed to someone to test their boldness or courage:I accepted the dare.
an action proposed to someone as a challenge or test of boldness or courage:Will he be able to complete the dare?She knew it was going to be a humiliating dare.
dare say. See entry at daresay.
Idioms about dare
on a dare, in response to being challenged to attempt something dangerous or bold: She scaled the wall on a dare.
Origin of dare
1synonym study For dare
Other words for dare
Other words from dare
- dar·er, noun
- re·dare, verb (used with object), re·dared, re·dar·ing.
- un·dared, adjective
Other definitions for Dare (2 of 3)
Vir·gin·ia [ver-jin-yuh], /vərˈdʒɪn yə/, 1587–?, daughter of Lost Colony settlers, the first child born in the Americas to English parents.
Other definitions for DARE (3 of 3)
Dictionary of American Regional English.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dare in a sentence
And “what kind of person,” Steinberg asks, “dares to write a sequel to the Bible?”
How ironic that the Hermit Kingdom is taking the blame for our first real look inside a clique that not even Vice dares penetrate.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack | James Poulos | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLiberalism in the United States today is the politics that dares not speak its name.
American Dreams: How Bush Shaped Our Reading of Roth’s ‘The Plot Against America’ | Nathaniel Rich | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWithin this maelstrom of mendacity lies an urgent film that dares to convey the black experience in America: Dear White People.
‘Dear White People’: How An Ex-Publicist’s Twitter Became One of the Year’s Most Important Films | Marlow Stern | October 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMany critics have disdain precisely for this strange messiness of his, this showmanship that dares to create a new order.
And as for Turner, the man who dares to say that he “painted English life as it was,” dares much.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. HarperHe scarcely dares glance at the trim ankle which she shows as she holds her dress out of the mud.
Camille (La Dame aux Camilias) | Alexandre Dumas, filsDear young lady, this gentleman, whom you see at my side, is nervous and shy; he loves you and dares not to tell his love.
Friend Mac Donald | Max O'RellNobody dares to doubt Divine justice; however, under the empire of a just God, we find nothing but injustice and violence.
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean MeslierMichael dares not leave him for an instant, even to tell me good-night.
Jane Journeys On | Ruth Comfort Mitchell
British Dictionary definitions for dare
/ (dɛə) /
(tr) to challenge (a person to do something) as proof of courage
(can take an infinitive with or without to) to be courageous enough to try (to do something): she dares to dress differently from the others; you wouldn't dare!
(tr) rare to oppose without fear; defy
I dare say or I daresay
(it is) quite possible (that)
probably: used as sentence substitute
a challenge to do something as proof of courage
something done in response to such a challenge
Origin of dare
1usage For dare
Derived forms of dare
- darer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse