noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Valiant deeds in desperate times. uncountable

   "With a cry of sheer derring-do, the climber leapt across the chasm."

2. 2
   brave and heroic feats wordnet
3. 3
   Brave and adventurous (albeit often reckless) actions. uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

audacityballsbravadobravuradaringenterprise

Example

More examples

"With a cry of sheer derring-do, the climber leapt across the chasm."

Etymology

From Middle English daring (to) do, misinterpreted as a noun by Edmund Spenser.

Related phrases

derring-doery

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.