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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
There was never a ton of conventional derring-do on his resume, even in Ron Howard's rather straightforward fantasy adventure.
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Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
Over the years, Orlando city officials learned to listen to Snow, to marvel at his extracurricular feats of derring-do and to buy into his high-flying dreams.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2025
Usually some combination of bold ambition, auteur cred, and technical derring-do.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Instead, showrunner Gemma Burgess has put together an irreverent engaging romp rife with witty banter, political intrigue, and a bit of derring-do—not to mention a killer soundtrack.
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
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Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
Over the years, Orlando city officials learned to listen to Snow, to marvel at his extracurricular feats of derring-do and to buy into his high-flying dreams.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2025
Usually some combination of bold ambition, auteur cred, and technical derring-do.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Instead, showrunner Gemma Burgess has put together an irreverent engaging romp rife with witty banter, political intrigue, and a bit of derring-do—not to mention a killer soundtrack.
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for derring-do
Cite this Entry
“Derring-do.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derring-do. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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