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. 2023
How to use dare in a sentence
He subsequently asked a reporter to accompany him as he dared to share his story with the police for the first time.
Victim: I Watched British MPs Rape and Murder Young Boys | Nico Hines | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOnly a few interns dared to ask questions, which Vidra repeatedly dodged.
Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine | Lloyd Grove | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTUber recently threatened to use the personal data of a tech journalist to destroy her because she dared criticize them.
I was quoted in The New York Times saying, ‘We dared to be dull’.
Can Obama and a Republican Senate Find Common Ground? | Eleanor Clift | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThose that dared to complain were punished with bad shifts, demoted, or even fired.
Waitressing Is One of the Worst Jobs for Sexual Harassment | Brandy Zadrozny | October 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
That woman meant mischief, or she would never have dared to suggest that a British officer should throw in his lot with hers.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThe unfinished phrases floated, but dared not come to earth; they gathered but remained undelivered.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodTruly the flag of Britain was trailing in the mire, or these men would not have dared to address him in that fashion.
The Red Year | Louis TracyI have dared to relate this to your Majesty because of my zeal as a loyal vassal, and as one who looks at things dispassionately.
If he had dared, he would have gone to her at once, to be put out of his misery, one way or the other.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. Williamson
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
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