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

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

specifically : an American Indian warrior

2

archaic : bravado

3

archaic : bully, assassin

Synonyms

Adjective

• courageous
• fearless
• valiant
• heroic
• gallant
• heroical

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

Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar applauded its brave storytelling. —Olivia Pinnock, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

Thank you to the [Lexington police] and [Kentucky State Police] for their brave efforts today. —Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 13 July 2025

Verb

Air crews even braved a hazardous materials situation to fight the fire. —Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 15 July 2025

Hundreds turned out on Sunday, braving the afternoon sun, for the funeral processions of the two men, carrying their bodies to their final resting place. —Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 14 July 2025

Noun

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

Still, Marler braves on; he’s got his team to watch. —Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 1 June 2024

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