dared

verb

past tense of dare
1
as in challenged
to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat I dare you to repeat that to my face! he dared his friend to race to the end of the block

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in confronted
to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage every day the old fisherman dared the elements to make his meager living

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dared Members of white government clubs hassled their white neighbors into political lockstep and advertised physical and financial retribution for any Black person who dared to vote. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 July 2026 Tillman, whose right foot was bloodied before the kick because a Bosnian player stepped on it, still arced a shot over five standing Bosnians, into an unsaveable spot that keeper Nikola Vasilj almost dared Tillman to target. — Sean Gregory, Time, 2 July 2026 That idea would have seemed to them facially crazy if anyone had even dared to articulate such a bizarre thing. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026 Nobody around dared speak or shout. — Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 This electrifying new production celebrates the women who dared to be bold, courageous, and wholly themselves—and in doing so, became truly iconic. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026 And then a Mexican reporter dared to mention Lionel Messi. — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 24 June 2026 Not quite — the Adventist Development and Relief Agency dared to dream even bigger in 2024 with a 107-by-64-foot colossus assembled in Chile that holds the record to this day. — Anusha Praturu, Vulture, 12 June 2026 No Utah newspaper dared to run the stories, the pair said. — ABC News, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dared
  1. challenged
  2. confronted
  3. faced
  4. braved
Verb
  • News to know now The Supreme Court said Texas can enforce age verification and parental consent requirements for most apps while those rules are being challenged as a free-speech violation.
    — Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Belgium challenged the decision on Monday morning, but FIFA overturned it, clearing the way for Balogun to return.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of challenged
Verb
  • Eccles was allegedly hiding from police in a series of backyards when he was confronted and arrested by Harris.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 9 July 2026
  • In this terse, elegant story, a mother is confronted by a teacher about her son’s anger problems at school.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 July 2026
Definition of confronted
Verb
  • Authorities from throughout Southern California have faced a spat of e-bike and e-motorcycle incidents, including a teen who led Orange County law enforcement on a chase last month.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • The category has faced many changes over recent years and after the two categories were merged, there were rules put in place to ensure that at least one of the SNL and Last Week Tonight would make the cut out of the five nominations.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 8 July 2026
Definition of faced
Verb
  • Powell was one of scores of Taylor Swift fans and inquisitive passersby who braved the New York City heat Thursday to satiate their curiosity about what many are calling the wedding of the century and the American equivalent of royal nuptials.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
  • In the midst of a Wembley Stadium residency, the singer braved the London heatwave in his beloved white Xanax tee over a white long-sleeve, and stayed consistent with his white Vans and outsized Jacques Marie Mage aviators.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 25 June 2026
Definition of braved

Browse Nearby Words

dare
dared
daredevil
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Cite this Entry

“Dared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dared. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of dared for Spanish Speakers

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