- present participle of dare.
daring
Americannoun
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of daring
Explanation
To be daring is to be bold, adventurous, and a little nervy. It’s a quality possessed by people who tend to take risks. If someone says, “I dare you,” and you always do, you’re a daring person. If you're daring, you dare to do things that are risky and even dangerous. A daring mountain climber goes for the top of Mount Everest, and a daring policeman enters the scariest houses to catch a crook. In comics and movies, superheroes are daring. Even quitting your job to start your own business is daring. The seafarers who first traveled across the globe were daring. Daring people are brave, and daring adventures are pretty exciting.
Vocabulary lists containing daring
Vocabulary from Donald Trump's Victory Speech, November 9, 2016
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Words to Describe a Hero or Heroine
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"Escaping to Freedom" and "Follow the Drinking Gourd"
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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.
His books on New York City planner Robert Moses and President Lyndon B. Johnson function as both biography and challenge, their hefty page counts daring readers to dive in.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Some of the ways that Tresnjak ups the ante on that daring have diminishing returns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
“This is the double-dog daring you. This is straight schoolyard,” said Reinhart, chief economist at BNY Investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Among other posts on X from General Kainerugaba on Thursday was one that read: "I consider myself the most handsome, most daring and glorious Commander who ever lived."
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
She put her hands on her hips, defiantly, as if daring him to agree.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.