dare
pronunciation
How to pronounce dare in British English:
UK [deə(r)]
How to pronounce dare in American English:
US [der]
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- Noun:
- a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
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- Verb:
- take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
- to be courageous enough to try or do something
- challenge
Word Origin
- dare
- dare: [OE] Dare used to be a widespread Germanic verb, with relatives in Old High German (giturran) and Gothic (gadaursan), but today it survives only in English (the similarlooking Danish turde and Swedish töras are probably not related). It comes via Germanic *ders- from an Indo-European *dhers-, which also produced Greek thrasús ‘bold’ and Old Slavic druzate ‘be bold’.In Old English it was a conjugationally complex verb, with anomalous present and past forms, but most of its oddities have now been ironed out: the past form durst is now on its last legs, and only the 3rd present singular form remains unusual, especially in negative contexts and questions: she daren’t rather than she dares not.
- dare (v.)
- from first and third person singular of Old English durran "to brave danger, dare; venture, presume," from Proto-Germanic *ders- (cognates: Old Norse dearr, Old High German giturran, Gothic gadaursan), from PIE *dhers- "to dare, be courageous" (cognates: Sanskrit dadharsha "to be bold;" Old Persian darš- "to dare;" Greek thrasys "bold;" Old Church Slavonic druzate "to be bold, dare;" Lithuanian dristi "to dare," drasus "courageous"). An Old English irregular preterite-present verb: darr, dearst, dear were first, second and third person singular present indicative; mostly regularized 16c., though past tense dorste survived as durst, but is now dying, persisting mainly in northern English dialect. Meaning "to challenge or defy (someone)" is first recorded 1570s.
- dare (n.)
- 1590s, from dare (v.).
Example
- 1. Will america 's politicians ever dare sign on ?
- 2. Few politicians dare favour too much income redistribution .
- 3. That sets the scene for big changes , if politicians dare .
- 4. How dare he bring disaster on the rest of the euro zone when it had so generously bailed out his scapegrace of a country ?
- 5. On what wings dare he aspire ?