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
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
Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
In the podcast, one of the things that struck both of us so much was this amazing, brave, vulnerable choice that the real Molly made to allow Nikki into that room to record her.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
Alexis Berger, SELF, 31 Mar. 2025
Republicans who braved the crowds at in-person town halls were overwhelmingly in safe red districts, with little risk of the viral confrontations directly affecting their reelection chances.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 22 Mar. 2025
Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Still, Marler braves on; he’s got his team to watch.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 1 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for brave
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Whether Flick would be brave and take a punt on the veteran by throwing him straight into the back line was another matter entirely, though.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
In the podcast, one of the things that struck both of us so much was this amazing, brave, vulnerable choice that the real Molly made to allow Nikki into that room to record her.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
Reviewers report wearing them for everything from hiking through moving water to braving the daily conditions of a Chicago winter without any heel pain.
—Alexis Berger, SELF, 31 Mar. 2025
Republicans who braved the crowds at in-person town halls were overwhelmingly in safe red districts, with little risk of the viral confrontations directly affecting their reelection chances.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
Shoshone chief Winter Bird (Irene Bedard) is a pacifist dealing with young braves too eager to fight.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Still, Marler braves on; he’s got his team to watch.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 1 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for brave
Cite this Entry
“Brave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brave. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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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