Synonyms of dared

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

• challenged
• confronted
• stumped
• defied
• braved
• brazened
• faced
• bearded
• breasted
• outbraved
• outfaced

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

• confronted
• faced
• braved
• withstood
• defied
• encountered
• brazened
• resisted
• stood up to
• bearded
• fought
• met
• challenged
• approached
• breasted
• outbraved
• stood
• outfaced
• affronted
• fronted
• opposed
• accosted
• faced up (to)
• cornered
• battled
• repelled
• combated
• contended (with)
• squared (off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ducked
• avoided
• sidestepped
• dodged
• shirked
• shunned
• eschewed
• escaped
• shook
• evaded
• funked
• eluded

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dared

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

Many a middle-schooler has had to play tetherball, but how many dared to add bees to the mix? — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026

When Guggenheim summoned contestants to the starting line on the first day of June outside City Hall in Manhattan, only four car companies – Acme, Ford, Shawmut, and Itala – dared to show up. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026

This is far from the first time the model has dared to share a playful nude moment on social media. — Meg Walters, InStyle, 3 Aug. 2026