dare
/dɛ(ə)ɹ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.31 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To have enough courage to meet or do something, go somewhere, etc.; to face up to.
Transitive verb
verb
To drive larks to the ground by scaring them (for instance, with mirrors or hawks) so they can be caught in nets.
Archaic; Transitive verb
noun
Example Sentences
- "I wouldn't dare (to) argue with my boss."
- "No one dares (to) criticize his decisions."
- "They daredn't tell me the truth, even though I dared (to) acknowledge my mistake to them."
- "I daren't tell him I've had an affair with another man."
- "The fellow dares not deceive me."
- "Why then did not the ministers use their new law? Because they durst not, because they could not."
Etymology
From Middle English durren, from Old English durran, from Proto-West Germanic *durʀan, from Proto-Germanic *durzaną (“to dare”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰedʰórse (“to dare”), reduplicated stative of the root *dʰers- (“to be bold, to dare”), an *-s- extension of *dʰer- (“to hold, support”). Cognates Cognate with Low German dören, Dutch durven, German thüren, Sanskrit दधर्ष (dadhárṣa), but also with Ancient Greek θρασύς (thrasús), Albanian nder, Lithuanian drįsti, Russian дерза́ть (derzátʹ).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *dʰers-, durren, durran, *durʀan, *durzaną, *dʰedʰórse
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dɛ(ə)ɹ/
- British English: /dɛə/
Usage
- Intransitive verb
- Transitive verb
- Archaic
- Obsolete
- American usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
D.A.R.E.