brave Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a North American Indian warrior
  2. noun people who are brave
    • the home of the free and the brave
  3. verb face and withstand with courage
    brave out; weather; endure.
    • She braved the elements
  4. adjective possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
    courageous.
    • Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver but less daring"- Herman Melville
    • a frank courageous heart...triumphed over pain"- William Wordsworth
    • set a courageous example by leading them safely into and out of enemy-held territory
  5. adjective satellite invulnerable to fear or intimidation
    dauntless; fearless; audacious; hardy; intrepid; unfearing.
    • audacious explorers
    • fearless reporters and photographers
    • intrepid pioneers
  6. adjective satellite brightly colored and showy
    braw; gay.
    • girls decked out in brave new dresses
    • brave banners flying
    • `braw' is a Scottish word
    • a dress a bit too gay for her years
    • birds with gay plumage

WordNet

Brave adjective
Etymology
F. brave, It. or Sp. bravo, (orig.) fierce, wild, savage, prob. from. L. barbarus. See Barbarous, and cf. Bravo.
Wordforms
comparative Braver; superlative Bravest
Definitions
  1. Bold; courageous; daring; intrepid; -- opposed to cowardly; as, a brave man; a brave act.
  2. Having any sort of superiority or excellence; -- especially such as in conspicuous. Obs. or Archaic as applied to material things.
    Iron is a brave commodity where wood aboundeth. Bacon.
    It being a brave day, I walked to Whitehall. Pepys.
  3. Making a fine show or display. Archaic
    Wear my dagger with the braver grace. Shak.
    For I have gold, and therefore will be brave. In silks I'll rattle it of every color. Robert Greene.
    Frog and lizard in holiday coats And turtle brave in his golden spots. Emerson.
    Syn. -- Courageous; gallant; daring; valiant; valorous; bold; heroic; intrepid; fearless; dauntless; magnanimous; high-spirited; stout-hearted. See Gallant.
Brave noun
Definitions
  1. A brave person; one who is daring.
    The star-spangled banner, O,long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. F. S. Key.
  2. Specifically, an Indian warrior.
  3. A man daring beyond discretion; a bully.
    Hot braves like thee may fight. Dryden.
  4. A challenge; a defiance; bravado. Obs.
    Demetrius, thou dost overween in all; And so in this, to bear me down with braves. Shak.
Brave transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Braved present participle & verbal noun Braving
Definitions
  1. To encounter with courage and fortitude; to set at defiance; to defy; to dare.
    These I can brave, but those I can not bear. Dryden.
  2. To adorn; to make fine or showy. Obs.
    Thou [a tailor whom Grunio was browbeating] hast braved meny men; brave not me; I'll neither be faced or braved. Shak.

Webster 1913