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

plural braves

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)

home of the brave

… none but the brave deserves the fair.

—John Dryden

specifically : a warrior of an Indigenous American people

2

archaic : bravado

3

archaic : bully, assassin

Synonyms of brave

Adjective

• courageous
• fearless
• valiant
• heroic
• gallant
• bold

Verb

• confront
• face

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

After being strapped into a harness by a brave rescue worker, the man is whisked from the tanker, holding onto the support lines for dear life as the drone carries him above the raging waters. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 8 July 2026

Egyptian fans in the 300 level of the stadium were outnumbered but felt brave enough to taunt the throngs of Argentines behind them. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026

Verb

Outflanked by cruel and fickle gods at every turn, legendary Greek hero Odysseus outsmarted a one-eyed giant, suffered through the bewitching Sirens’ song and braved the Underworld’s dead denizens. — Alex Pulaski, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Instead, find a way to engineer genuine positive feelings into the behavior, like Dunn cycling to work instead of braving a traffic-heavy commute. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Noun

Sourced from July’s Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM), a young adult miniseries in which an 18th-century witch braves 2020s reality to grant her cat a never-ending ninth life, trailed by Marie’s seven former souls. — John Hopewell, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025

In this video, CNN’s Isabel Rosales braves the infamous Netherworld Haunted House and explores the psychology behind our fascination with fear. — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025

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

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1590, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

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

Rhymes for brave

• cave
• clave
• crave
• fave
• gave
• grave
• knave
• lave
• nave
• pave
• rave
• shave

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