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Derring-do is a quirky holdover from Middle English that came to occupy its present place in the language by a series of mistakes and misunderstandings. In Middle English, dorring don meant simply "daring to do." The phrase was misprinted as derrynge do in a 15th-century work by poet John Lydgate, and Edmund Spenser took it up from there. (A glossary to Spenser's work defined it as "manhood and chevalrie.") Literary author Sir Walter Scott and others brought the noun into modern use.
Examples of derring-do in a Sentence
Rhonda Richford, WWD, 2 Oct. 2024
Boyd’s memoir vividly paints that place and time, spiced by tales of derring-do — trapping wolves for radio-collar research, surviving close calls with grizzly bears, crossing icy rivers and flying small planes low over dangerous terrain.
—Ben Long, The Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2024
Shop Sonam Kapoor's Open Door Such design derring-do is part of Kapoor’s DNA, traceable back in a matriarchal line of cultured women with a talent for interiors.
—Cosmo Brockway, Architectural Digest, 12 Aug. 2024
The early years of the motion-picture industry were centered around fights, on shootouts, on slapstick pratfalls, and other feats of physical derring-do.
—Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for derring-do 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'derring-do.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Derring-do.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derring-do. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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