Definition of 'brave'
Word forms: comparative braver
, superlative bravest
, plural, 3rd person singular present tense braves
, present participle braving
, past tense, past participle braved
1. adjective
2. verb
If you brave unpleasant or dangerous conditions, you deliberately expose yourself to them, usually in order to achieve something.
[written]
3. countable noun
[old-fashioned]
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
brave in British English
adjective
1.
a.
verb (transitive)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
bravely (ˈbravely) adverb
braveness (ˈbraveness)
noun
bravery (ˈbravery)
noun
Word origin
C15: from French, from Italian bravo courageous, wild, perhaps ultimately from Latin barbarus barbarousWord Frequency
brave in American English
(breiv) (adjective braver, bravest, verb braved, braving)
noun
4.
a brave person
5.
a warrior, esp. among Native American tribes
transitive verb
SYNONYMS 1. bold, intrepid, daring, dauntless, heroic. brave, courageous, valiant, fearless, gallant refer to confident bearing in the face of difficulties or dangers. brave is the most comprehensive: it is especially used of that confident fortitude or daring
that actively faces and endures anything threatening. courageous implies a higher or nobler kind of bravery, esp. as resulting from an inborn quality
of mind or spirit that faces or endures perils or difficulties without fear and even
with enthusiasm. valiant implies a correspondence between an inner courageousness and external deeds, particularly
of physical strength or endurance. fearless implies unflinching spirit and coolness in the face of danger. gallant implies a chivalrous, impetuous, or dashing braveryANTONYMS 1. cowardly.8.
to defy; challenge; dare
9. obsolete
to make splendid
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
bravely adverb
braveness
noun
Word origin
[1475–85; ‹ MF ‹ Sp bravo (˃It) ‹ VL *brabus for L barbarus barbarous]More idioms containing
brave
Examples of 'brave' in a sentence
brave
Example sentences from the Collins Corpus
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Muse aren't the only supermassive band revealing brave new material.
The brave new integrationist impulse flourished for a time, in the post-war utopian
heyday.
It's a brave move towards a more miserabilist sound for a band famed for their flower-power
pop.
The dip followed the brave surrender of my only woollen layer to a needier son halfway
down the slug track.
The prime minister, after his rockiest time in office so far, is putting a brave face
on events.
Her decision to do the backflip was brave.
For the brave, yesterday's 9 ½ p fall to 480 ½ p is a short-run buying opportunity.
We're bored to death with our winter wardrobes, but it's still too cold to brave the
streets in our spring buys.
A brave face at the close of proceedings, with a poem in praise of spring, doesn't
quite amount to a second wind.
I met brave journalists who were doing their best to expose forcible evictions, food
adulteration, toxic pollution and graft.
Example sentences from Collins dictionaries
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company HarperCollins.
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more…
Are you brave enough to face up to this challenge?
Aren't I brave?
Michael put on a brave front.
Richard kept up a brave front.
brave people who dare to challenge the tyrannical regimes
Friends will see you are putting on a brave face.
They were recklessly brave.
It takes a brave cook to depart radically from the traditional menu.
try to put on a brave smile
Michael kept up a brave front.
Trends of
brave
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In other languages
brave
British English: brave
/breɪv/ ADJECTIVE
Someone who is brave is willing to do dangerous things, and does not show fear in difficult or dangerous situations.
He became an extremely brave horseman.
- American English: brave /ˈbreɪv/
- Arabic: شُجاع
- Brazilian Portuguese: valente
- Chinese: 勇敢的
- Croatian: hrabar
- Czech: odvážný
- Danish: tapper
- Dutch: moedig
- European Spanish: valiente
- Finnish: urhea
- French: courageux
- German: tapfer
- Greek: γενναίος
- Italian: coraggioso
- Japanese: 勇敢な
- Korean: 용감한
- Norwegian: modig
- Polish: odważny
- European Portuguese: valente
- Romanian: brav
- Russian: мужественный
- Latin American Spanish: valiente
- Swedish: modig
- Thai: กล้าหาญ
- Turkish: maceraperest
- Ukrainian: сміливий
- Vietnamese: can đảm
British English: brave
VERB /breɪv/
If you brave unpleasant or dangerous conditions, you deliberately expose yourself to them, usually in order to achieve something.
Thousands have braved icy rain to demonstrate their support.
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Definition of brave from the Collins English Dictionary
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