brave

1 of 3

adjective

ˈbrāv 

braver; bravest

1

: having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty : having or showing courage

a brave soldier

a brave smile

2

: making a fine show : colorful

brave banners flying in the wind

3

: excellent, splendid

… the brave fire I soon had going …

—J. F. Dobie

bravely adverb

brave

2 of 3

verb

braved; braving

transitive verb

1

: to face or endure with courage

braved the rush-hour traffic to get there

braving the elements

2

obsolete : to make showy

intransitive verb

archaic : to show courage : to make a brave show

braver noun

brave

3 of 3

noun

1

[in part borrowed from French, noun derivative of brave brave entry 1] : one with mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty : one who is brave (see brave entry 1)

… none but the brave deserves the fair.

—John Dryden

specifically : an American Indian warrior

2

archaic : bravado

3

archaic : bully, assassin

Synonyms

Adjective

• bold
• courageous
• dauntless
• doughty
• fearless
• gallant
• greathearted
• gutsy
• gutty
• heroic
• heroical
• intrepid
• lionhearted
• manful
• stalwart
• stout
• stouthearted
• undauntable
• undaunted
• valiant
• valorous

Verb

• beard
• brazen
• breast
• confront
• dare
• defy
• face
• outbrave
• outface

Examples of brave in a Sentence

Adjective

She gave us a brave smile.

He lost his brave fight against the disease.

Verb

Thousands of fans braved rush-hour traffic to see the concert.

a soldier who braved enemy fire to rescue her wounded comrade

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Surfers clad in thick winter wetsuits brave the cold and rough waters — and are rewarded with some of the country’s best surfing. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2024

But more brave are the men who dare wear shorts that end more than a few inches above the knee. —Anna Tingley, Variety, 16 May 2024

Verb

Royals fans who braved the rain Friday got to see a celebrity softball game, a pitchers’ duel, two franchise records and something unseen in Major League Baseball since 1929. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2024

Tarrant County resident Ashton Smith, 37, cited those numbers as his reason for braving the rain to protest on Thursday. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2024

Noun

Today, with inflation running near 100 percent and an economy that could grind to a halt given a structural lack of hard currency, optimism is reserved for the brave. —Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2022

The brave can check out the more sinister Curse of the Bayou walking attraction. —Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Italian bravo "courageous, wild," perhaps ultimately going back to Latin barbarus barbarous

Verb

borrowed from Middle French braver "to challenge, flout," verbal derivative of brave brave entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of brave entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1546, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing brave

• brave new world
• brave the elements
• put on a brave face
• put up a brave front
• put up a good/brave front
• the brave

Kids Definition

brave

1 of 3 adjective

ˈbrāv 

1

: feeling or displaying no fear : courageous

2

: making a fine show : splendid

brave banners flying in the wind

bravely adverb

brave

2 of 3 verb

braved; braving

: to face or bear with courage

pioneers who braved the dangers of the frontier

brave

3 of 3 noun

: one who is brave

especially : a warrior of an Indigenous people of North America