dare
- to have the necessary courage or boldness for something; be bold enough: You wouldn't 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.
- 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.
- an act of daring or defiance; challenge.
- dare say, daresay.
Origin of dare
Synonyms
See more synonyms for dare on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
dare
- (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
Word Origin
usage
Word Origin and History for darer
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.