dared

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

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 Nike made left-wing politics part of its identity and repeatedly dared customers to object. Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026 Mehmet Eser | Anadolu | Getty Images Markets are set to find out Wednesday just how aggressive the Treasury Department's bond-buying program will get, as Secretary Scott Bessent dared currency traders to challenge him. Jeff Cox, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026 Sixty years later, the surprise isn’t that these worlds exist, but that the real ones are even stranger than writers dared to imagine. Alix Freckelton, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Everyone’s voice is valued, standards have risen on and off the field, and all matches are monitored and recorded in such a way that Dean would not have dared to try to play the class clown. Graham Scott, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Hence, nobody dared to approach the horse, and its owner wasn’t found. Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 Thor would have dared the rioters to come closer, then kicked their collective butts. Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 President Ronald Reagan dared wear brown suits, and he was declared fashion-forward. Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026 By contrast, Hamas’ strategy was to put its own civilians in harm’s way by building a tunnel system under cities that dared Israel to kill civilians in order to get to Hamas’ warriors. Daniel Kolkey, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dared
Verb
  • There are legitimate circumstances in which content may be corrected, challenged or removed.
    Scott Keever, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This data challenged a familiar story about rising inequality.
    Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Police say the suspect, who remains unidentified as of publication, confronted the man and shot him at least once before leaving.
    Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The person upstairs came down, confronted the man involved in the disturbance and shot him at least once, according to the release.
    Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The pressures Wong faced throughout her lifetime were severe.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • McBride faced noticeable backlash from the GOP caucus before even arriving to Capitol Hill after winning the state's at-large congressional race two years ago.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The Trojans shut out Fresno State, 39-0, rewarding the crowd that had braved Labor Day weekend traffic and chose college football over baseball – and maybe attempting to stick it to their critics in the process.
    Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Herlacher braved the falling debris and panicked people running through the streets to help her and was horrified to find the fragment had cut through her back.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dared. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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