brave

adjective

\ ˈbrāv

braver; bravest

Definition of brave

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

brave

verb

braved; braving

Definition of brave (Entry 2 of 3)

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

brave

noun

Definition of brave (Entry 3 of 3)

1 archaic : bravado

2 [ in part borrowed from French, noun derivative of brave ¹brave ] : 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

3 archaic : bully, assassin

Other Words from brave Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about brave

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Choose the Right Synonym for brave

Adjective

brave, courageous, and bold mean showing no fear. brave is used of a person who has or shows no fear when faced with danger or difficulty. The brave crew tried to save the ship. courageous is used of a person who is always prepared to meet danger or difficulty. The early astronauts were courageous in facing the dangers of space travel. bold is used of a person who welcomes dangerous situations. The bold explorers went in search of adventure.

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

But many people aren’t as brave or savvy as Daniel. — Jim Wyss And Cody Weddle, miamiherald, "Venezuela's Maduro aims to turn empty stomachs into full ballot boxes | Miami Herald," 16 May 2018 The truth is, Armstrong was a quiet, thoughtful, and brave engineer. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "First Man is a first-rate movie about America’s most revered astronaut," 12 Oct. 2018 There are a couple other less-worn trails, and even more should open up after some brave racers hit the snow Wednesday. — Author: Kat Sorensen, Anchorage Daily News, "Mount Marathon race trail has it all: snow, lush vegetation, flowing water and lots of dust," 3 July 2018 There were patriotic, heroic, brave young men who died on the outside of the wall defending their country. — Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, "Proposed Alamo plan would overhaul heart of downtown but is stirring controversy," 7 June 2018 Mr Powers’s fine novel reaches the same bleak, brave conclusion. — The Economist, "Kevin Powers has written a harrowing, resonant civil war novel," 6 June 2018 This unoccupied seat is dedicated to the memory of those brave men and women and to the sacrifices made in serving this country. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Moving Photo of Braves Fan Holding Umbrella for Marine Corps Junior ROTC Cadet Goes Viral," 29 May 2018 Chow Yun-fat plays an assassin looking to perform his last hit and winds up partnering with a young, but brave cop. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland.com, "'Manhunt' on Netflix: 5 other John Woo classics you must see," 4 May 2018 Huey, a shining emblem of white privilege, is presented as a brave hero. — Oliver Sava, Chicago Reader, "Memphis makes the birth of rock all about the white dude," 2 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Instead of rushing inside to escape the snow, Meghan and Harry generously spoke to people throughout the crowd, and seemed happy to make conversation with everyone who had braved the cold. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Greeting Children in the Snow Will Melt Your Heart," 1 Feb. 2019 From asking fans for parenting advice, to greeting the sweetest group of young children who were all wrapped up to brave the cold weather, Meghan and Harry weren't afraid of a little snow during their visit. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince Harry Was Shown a Photo of Princess Diana in Bristol & His Response Was So Emotional," 1 Feb. 2019 Among the Mexican reporters now mingling with the crowd, there is great curiosity around how many migrants plan to brave the U.S. border despite Trump’s threats. — Liliana Frankel, Teen Vogue, "A Day in the Life of the Migrant Caravan," 16 Nov. 2018 If stocks didn’t offer the prospect of higher return, investors wouldn’t want to brave the uncertainty of owning them. — Jason Zweig, WSJ, "Sometimes, It’s Bonds For the Long Run," 2 Nov. 2018 Mere muggles may be afraid to brave an amusement park in this summer heat. — Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "Taste test: New Butterbeer Ice Cream at Harry Potter's Wizarding World," 12 July 2018 Peter and Thomas McMahon, 8 and 10, respectively, were the first to brave the pool’s chilly water. — Emily Williams, BostonGlobe.com, "The city’s two public outdoor pools and South Boston ‘family-friendly’ beach open this weekend," 16 June 2018 Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: RFK’s speech in apartheid South Africa remains relevant 50 years after his assassination," 5 June 2018 When word got back to him that Voshon Lenard, then in his sophomore season at Minnesota, was struggling to brave the bitter Minneapolis winters without a heavy coat, Ed immediately had one shipped to Minneapolis. — Carl Martin, Detroit Free Press, "Fab Five scandal doesn't tell full story of Ed Martin: 'He helped everybody'," 30 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The braves demonstrated their prowess with the bow and arrow, the Pilgrims with their muskets. — Peggy Noonan, WSJ, "The Pilgrims Take Manhattan," 21 Nov. 2018 If a new version of the Rift isn't currently in the works, Oculus is putting up quite the brave (and counterproductive) front for the sake of PC VR fans. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Oculus reconfirms “future version of Rift” amid PC cancellation rumors," 23 Oct. 2018 And advocates working with the team had painted worry stones with words like strength and brave for the survivors to carry into court the next day. — Jason Schmidt, Glamour, "The Army of Women Who Took Down Larry Nassar," 30 Oct. 2018 Her brave and good men regard her admission into the Union as a matter of life and death. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Like Bush and Obama, Trump gets stuck on immigration," 21 June 2018 Not just this team, all our English teams are playing like that—brave on the ball. — Jonathan Clegg, WSJ, "How England Rewired Its Soccer DNA," 10 July 2018 One thing's for certain — the firefighters called little Khloe brave for not shedding a single tear, and considering the circumstances, that's no small feat. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "An "Angel" Saved This Toddler From a Terrifying Car Crash," 27 July 2016 My older self might yet agree with her, but my current self decided to be a different kind of brave. — Neda Semnani, chicagotribune.com, "You have more in common with your partner's exes than you might think," 16 May 2018 Maggie Haberman, a New York Times reporter covering the White House, called Sanders brave for sitting through the jokes, which Haberman found to be too ad hominem. — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, "Is This The Most Controversial WHCD Of All Time?," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brave.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.