dare

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“
So this dare is my take on that theme - I'll tell you the ingredients you have to use, then all you have to do is make the card.

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Definitions (34)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (7)

  1. transitive verb To have the courage required for: The gymnast dared a breathtakingly difficult move.
  2. transitive verb To challenge (someone) to do something requiring boldness: They dared me to dive off the high board.
  3. transitive verb To confront or oppose boldly. See Synonyms at defy.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (17)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (6)

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Examples (50)

  • The "taker" of a dare was no sportsman. —  Still Jim
  • That swaggering trooper Her inertness vanished; the sudden anger and wonderment in her eyes met the passion in his How dare you--dare you--" she began He is neither my master, nor the duke; but a mere free-booter, a mountain terrorist Pride and contempt replaced her surprise, but indignation still remained. —  Under the Rose
  • He knew, moreover, that he must not speak--dare not, as a sacred obligation to his office, until he no longer felt the touch of anger he experienced upon hearing her unrestrained outburst. —  Flamsted quarries
  • I not only could not do this and live, but to save you from pain I would dare-- What would I not dare? —  The Forsaken Inn A Novel
  • Do you--dare you To taunt me with my born deformity Stran. —  The Works of Lord Byron. Vol. 5 Poetry
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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

bold ·  desperate ·  successful ·  reckless ·  brilliant ·  heroic

Used in the same contextWord Family

dare:   daring ·  dared ·  dares
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (5)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English daren, from Old English dearr, first and third person sing. present indicative of durran, to venture, dare; see dhers- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. A form orig. indicative, from Middle English 1st (and 3d) person sing, dar, der, dear, from Anglo-Saxon dear, dearr (for *dears) = Old Saxon gi-dar = OFries. dor, dur, also by confusion thor, thur, = Middle Low German dar = Old High German gi-tar, Middle High German tar, gi-tar = Danish tör = Swedish tör = Goth, ga-dars, I dare, an old preterit present, with new infinitive, Middle English durren, durn (also by conformation daren, darn), from Anglo-Saxon durran = OS.gi-durran = OFries. *dura, *dora, also by confusion *thura, *thora, = Middle Low German doren = Old High German gi-turran = Icelandic thora = Swedish töra = Danish turde = Goth, ga-daursan (with new weak preterit, English durst, from Middle English durste, dorste (two syllables), from Anglo-Saxon dorste (for *dors-de) = Old Saxon gi-dorsta = OFries. dorste, thorste = Middle Low German dorste = Old High German *gi-torsta, Middle High German torste = Icelandic thordhi = Swedish torde = Danish turde = Goth, ga-daursta), dare, = Greek θαρσεῖν, θαρρεῖν, be bold, dare (θαρσύς, θρασύς, bold), = Old Bulgarian drŭzati, dare, = Sanskrit √ dharsh, dare. In some forms, as the Middle English, Friesic, and Scandinavian, there is confusion with a different preterit verb, Middle English tharf, also darf, from Anglo-Saxon thearf, infinitive thurfan, = OFries. thurf, infinitive *thurva, = Old High German durfan = Icelandic thurfa = Gothic (Moesogothic) thaurban, have need, which in D. durven = German dürfen, dare, has completely displaced the form corresponding to English dare: see darf, tharf.
  2. from dare, v.
  3. from Middle English daren, darien, dayren, be or lie in fear, terrify; cf. Swedish darra, tremble, shiver, = Danish dirre, tremble, quiver, vibrate, = Low German bedaren, become still, = Dutch bedaren, abate, become calm, compose. Perhaps ult. a secondary form of Middle English dasen, be stupefied, transitive stupefy, daze: see daze.
  4. Also written dar (Middle English), from French dard (pron. där), and in older form dart (and in another form darse, darce, later English dace); all ult. identical with dart, a missile: see dace and dart.
 

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/dɛr/
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