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

Good luck to these brave souls, who will face countless questions about this event at premieres and upfronts for the rest of their lives. — Marc Malkin, Variety, 2 July 2026

Clive was big, and bombastic, and brave, and full of ideas, and just believed, believed, believed, believed. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026

Verb

Fans in attendance braved the early heat and were rewarded with a cool breeze and the sunset in the background to set the stage for a game the entire world had their eyes on. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026

For anyone willing to brave the cold, the private pool area houses the largest of the home’s five decks and boasts tables with room for 12 along with a collection of Adirondack chairs. — Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026

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

Osbourne later apologized for the incident, which was considered a grave insult to the memories of the Lone Star brave who died during the two-week battle, which made the tribute posted on the Alamo’s Instagram account on Tuesday all the more touching. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 July 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