braver; bravest
1
: having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty : having or showing courage
a brave soldier
a brave smile
2
: making a fine show : colorful
brave banners flying in the wind
bravely
adverb
braved; braving
1
: to face or endure with courage
braved the rush-hour traffic to get there
braving the elements
2
obsolete
: to make showy
archaic
: to show courage : to make a brave show
braver
noun
1
[in part borrowed from French, noun derivative of brave brave entry 1]
: one with mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty : one who is brave (see brave entry 1)
… none but the brave deserves the fair.—
John Dryden
John Dryden
specifically
: an American Indian warrior
2
archaic
: bravado
Synonyms
Examples of brave in a Sentence
Adjective
She gave us a brave smile.
He lost his brave fight against the disease.
Verb
Thousands of fans braved rush-hour traffic to see the concert.
a soldier who braved enemy fire to rescue her wounded comrade
Recent Examples on the Web
Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Unlike the crime thriller elements that are just OK, there’s energy, urgency and a convincing naturalism when the focus is on Yan and Sister taking brave and sometimes dangerous steps to reclaim their right to self-determination.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
Not all roads will close, however, and travelers who want to brave the wintry conditions can drive into the park between the North entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2024
Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 1 June 2024
Today, with inflation running near 100 percent and an economy that could grind to a halt given a structural lack of hard currency, optimism is reserved for the brave.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for brave 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
Incredibly the only sitcom on this list, NBC’s Powerless was a brave, brief foray into what still is wildly uncharted territory in cape comic TV shows.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Unlike the crime thriller elements that are just OK, there’s energy, urgency and a convincing naturalism when the focus is on Yan and Sister taking brave and sometimes dangerous steps to reclaim their right to self-determination.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
On that afternoon in May, protesters in many cities across Europe braved wet weather.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
Not all roads will close, however, and travelers who want to brave the wintry conditions can drive into the park between the North entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
Still, Marler braves on; he’s got his team to watch.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 1 June 2024
Today, with inflation running near 100 percent and an economy that could grind to a halt given a structural lack of hard currency, optimism is reserved for the brave.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for brave
Dictionary Entries Near brave
Cite this Entry
“Brave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brave. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brave
1 of 3 adjective1
: feeling or displaying no fear : courageous
2
: making a fine show : splendid
brave banners flying in the wind
bravely
adverb
brave
2 of 3 verb
braved; braving
: to face or bear with courage
pioneers who braved the dangers of the frontier
brave
3 of 3 noun
: one who is brave
especially
: a warrior of an Indigenous people of North America
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