What does "dare" mean?
A challenge to prove courage.
Dare
/dɛə/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A challenge to prove courage.
- Grammar: dare is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: adventure, adventure, adventures, affront.
- Useful contrasts: appease, avoid, compliance.
- Usage evidence: How dare you say such a thing to me?
How to use "dare"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dare" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dare" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dare" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dare" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dare" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adventure" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dare", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A challenge to prove courage.
"I did it just for a dare."
- 2 A small fish, the dace
"The Dare is not unlike a Chub, but proportionably less; his Body is more white and flatter, and his Tail more forked."
- 3 a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy wordnet
- 4 The quality of daring; venturesomeness; boldness.
"It lends a lustre […] / A large dare to our great enterprise."
- 5 Defiance; challenge.
"Childish, unworthy dares / Are not enough to part our powers."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 In the game truth or dare, the choice to perform a dare set by the other players.
"When asked truth or dare, she picked dare."
Verb
- 1 To have enough courage (to do something). intransitive
"I wouldn't dare (to) argue with my boss."
- 2 To stare stupidly or vacantly; to gaze as though amazed or terrified. obsolete
- 3 challenge wordnet
- 4 To defy or challenge (someone to do something). transitive
"I dare you to kiss that girl."
- 5 To lie or crouch down in fear. obsolete
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission wordnet
- 7 To have enough courage to meet or do something, go somewhere, etc.; to face up to. transitive
"Will you dare death to reach your goal?"
- 8 to be courageous enough to try or do something wordnet
- 9 To terrify; to daunt. transitive
"For I have done those follies, those mad mischiefs, Would dare a woman."
- 10 To drive larks to the ground by scaring them (for instance, with mirrors or hawks) so they can be caught in nets. archaic, transitive
"I have an hobby can make larks to dare"
Proper Noun
- 1 Acronym of Drug Abuse Resistance Education. US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 2 A surname.
- 3 Acronym of Dictionary of American Regional English. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"How dare you say such a thing to me?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dare"?
Common synonyms include: adventure, adventure, adventures, affront, aim to, assume.
How do you use "dare" in a sentence?
How dare you say such a thing to me?
How do you pronounce "dare"?
Pronounced /dɛə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English durren, from Old English durran, from Proto-West Germanic *durʀan, from Proto-Germanic *durzaną (“to dare”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰedʰórse (“to dare”), reduplicated stative of the root *dʰers- (“to be bold, to dare”), an *-s- extension of *dʰer- (“to hold, support”). Cognates Cognate with Low German dören, Dutch durven, German turren, Sanskrit दधर्ष (dadhárṣa), but also with Ancient Greek θρασύς (thrasús), Albanian nder, Lithuanian drįsti, Russian дерза́ть (derzátʹ).
Etymology 2
From Middle English daren, from Old English darian.
Etymology 3
English surname, spelling variant of Dear.