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:
We all need to train ourselves to question everything, raise eyebrows, and employ a dose of cynicism to survive in our brave new AI world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
In 1961, the Mercury-Redstone 2 transported a brave “astrochimp” named Ham to space in order to discern if the trip would be safe for humans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 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
Uncertain moments and lost possession for Coventry City's goal, but did make one brave clearance.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
"Strong Jonn was a brave man," Val said at last.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Young readers will cheer for the doughty girl, who braves the razored depths to haul the baby dragon to safety in this satisfying, sumptuously illustrated fable translated from the French by Alyson Waters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
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
And Lastest of All: Nomadland Loser: A scrappy woman living in a rolling box braves intermittent cell service on her primitive iPhone 6s in a quest for ink.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2022
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
Still, she imposed what Norman Podhoretz called an “inordinate demand”: that Jews under Hitler be braver and nobler than ordinary people could be expected to be when murderers held all the power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Rather than pointing the finger at PlayStations, 'no ball games' signage or rising pitch hire costs, Ian Wright called for a "bolder, braver vision" and suggested "somebody is letting down Scotland on a massive scale".
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 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
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner - a possible challenger to Sir Keir - said it "must be a wake up call" and the government must be "braver".
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
“Hello?” he said, trying to sound braver than he felt.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
“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
"The bravest boys in Britain" is how the Daily Star describes the sons of police constable Matthew Blades, who was killed in the A66 fatal crash.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 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
Facing the hooves of a rearing stallion is scary enough, but when it’s a centaur, armed with a bow and whooping it up in a soda-drinking hat, even the bravest warrior would retreat.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
“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
Mwiche Nalupumbwe, 26, was among hundreds who braved the morning chill to queue at polling stations well before they opened.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 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
She braved the smell of the tannery to visit her father.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
But either way, there’s no braving this journey alone.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Zookeepers then pivot to old-fashioned tracking, braving thickets of brambles and stinging nettles in search of footprints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
But recent research shows that they were braving the cold.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 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
Me and Abby, braving the cold to go see the holiday lights together.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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