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daresay

or dare say

[dair-sey]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR daresay ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object)

to venture to say (something); assume (something) as probable (used only in present sing. 1st person): I daresay we will soon finish.

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RELATED WORDS

pretend, deem, understand, expect, presume, think, operate, dare, speculate, divine, calculate, predict, suggest, fathom, suppose, solve, believe, infer, surmise, figure

Origin of daresay

1250–1300; Middle English dar sayen I dare to say

dare

[dair]

verb (used without object), dared or (Archaic) durst; dared; daring; present singular 3rd person dares or dare.

to have the necessary courage or boldness for something; be bold enough: You wouldn't dare!

verb (used with object), dared or (Archaic) durst; dared; daring; present singular 3rd person dares or dare.

to have the boldness to try; venture; hazard.
to meet defiantly; face courageously.
to challenge or provoke (a person) into a demonstration of courage; defy: to dare a man to fight.

auxiliary verb

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.

noun

an act of daring or defiance; challenge.

Origin of dare

before 900; Middle English dar (v.), Old English dear(r), 1st and 3rd person singular present indicative of durran; akin to Old High German gitarran
Related formsdar·er, nounre·dare, verb (used with object), re·dared, re·dar·ing.un·dared, adjective

Synonyms for dare

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dare ON THESAURUS.COM
2. hazard, risk, brave.

Synonym study

1. Dare, venture imply involvement in risks and dangers. Dare emphasizes the state of mind that makes one willing to meet danger: He dared to do what he knew was right. Venture emphasizes the act of doing something that involves risk: He ventured into deep water.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for dare say

dare

verb

(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
  1. (it is) quite possible (that)
  2. probably: used as sentence substitute

noun

a challenge to do something as proof of courage
something done in response to such a challenge
Derived Formsdarer, noun

Word Origin for dare

Old English durran; related to Old High German turran to venture

usage

When used negatively or interrogatively, dare does not usually add -s: he dare not come; dare she come? When used negatively in the past tense, however, dare usually adds -d: he dared not come
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
Word Origin and History for dare say

dare

n.

1590s, from dare (v.).

dare

v.

from first and third person singular of Old English durran "to brave danger, dare; venture, presume," from Proto-Germanic *ders- (cf. Old Norse dearr, Old High German giturran, Gothic gadaursan), from PIE *dhers- "to dare, be courageous" (cf. Sanskrit dadharsha "to be bold;" Old Persian darš- "to dare;" Greek thrasys "bold;" Old Church Slavonic druzate "to be bold, dare;" Lithuanian dristi "to dare," drasus "courageous").

An Old English irregular preterite-present verb: darr, dearst, dear were first, second and third person singular present indicative; mostly regularized 16c., though past tense dorste survived as durst, but is now dying, persisting mainly in northern English dialect. Meaning "to challenge or defy (someone)" is first recorded 1570s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with dare say

dare say

see I dare say.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.