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
bravely
adverb
braved; braving
1
: to face or endure with courage
braved the rush-hour traffic to get there
braving the elements
2
obsolete
: to make showy
archaic
: to show courage : to make a brave show
braver
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
John Dryden
specifically
: an American Indian warrior
2
archaic
: bravado
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
Jill Schulman, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have returned to the streets demanding a brave leadership.
—Ron Scherf, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Zeb Tiedeman, Louisburg band director, said building new fields adjacent to the school would greatly improve rehearsal conditions for his own marching band students, who currently brave uneven ground and wet grass during first period.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
Joe Rao, Space.com, 28 July 2025
Shoshone chief Winter Bird (Irene Bedard) is a pacifist dealing with young braves too eager to fight.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brave
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Adjective
One brave call today might be the connection that opens the door to your next role.
—Jill Schulman, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have returned to the streets demanding a brave leadership.
—Ron Scherf, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
In July 2024, Kinley Ragan braved summer temperatures as she and a volunteer hiked through mountains in southern Arizona, checking on field cameras installed earlier in the year.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Zeb Tiedeman, Louisburg band director, said building new fields adjacent to the school would greatly improve rehearsal conditions for his own marching band students, who currently brave uneven ground and wet grass during first period.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
Native Americans saw the Milky Way as the path of their braves rising into heaven, with bright stars like Vega and Altair representing campfires along the way.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 28 July 2025
Shoshone chief Winter Bird (Irene Bedard) is a pacifist dealing with young braves too eager to fight.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brave
Cite this Entry
“Brave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brave. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brave
1 of 3 adjective1
: 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
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