derring-do

noun

der·​ring-do ˌder-iŋ-ˈdü How to pronounce derring-do (audio)
ˌde-riŋ-
: daring action : daring
deeds of derring-do

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s no question Linklater identifies with Godard and is, like any filmmaker of his caliber and contemporary, one continually inspired by the French director’s iconoclasm and stylistic derring-do. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2025 There is plenty of derring-do here too, as Cassian races to beat ISB to that familiar apartment Luthen kept as a safe house. Noel Murray, New York Times, 14 May 2025 This wondrous feat of real-life derring-do, intercut with multiple other standoffs, transfixes us because a lot of it involves things going spectacularly wrong — again, very much in the Mission: Impossible tradition. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 May 2025 Some of the magical derring-do is reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (written by Jack Thorne, who, along with the Duffer Brothers and Trefry wrote the original story on which First Shadow is based). Greg Evans, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for derring-do

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dorring don daring to do, from dorring (gerund of dorren to dare) + don to do

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of derring-do was in 1579

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Cite this Entry

“Derring-do.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derring-do. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

derring-do

noun
der·​ring-do
ˌder-iŋ-ˈdü
: daring action : daring
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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