dare

Meanings

Plural: dares

Noun

a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
- "he could never refuse a dare"
A challenge to prove courage.
The quality of daring; venturesomeness; boldness.
Defiance; challenge.
In the game truth or dare, the choice to perform a dare set by the other players.
A small fish, the dace

Verb

take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
- "How dare you call my lawyer?"
to be courageous enough to try or do something; ,
- "I don't dare call him"
- "she dares to dress differently from the others"
challenge
- "I dare you!"
To have enough courage (to do something).
To defy or challenge (someone to do something).
To have enough courage to meet or do something, go somewhere, etc.; to face up to.
To terrify; to daunt.
To drive larks to the ground by scaring them (for instance, with mirrors or hawks) so they can be caught in nets.
To stare stupidly or vacantly; to gaze as though amazed or terrified.
To lie or crouch down in fear.

Origin / 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 turren, Sanskrit दधर्ष (dadhárṣa), but also with Ancient Greek θρασύς (thrasús), Albanian nder, Lithuanian drįsti, Russian дерза́ть (derzátʹ).

Synonyms

daring, defy, make bold, presume

Scrabble Score: 5

dare is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
dare is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
dare is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 5

dare is a valid Words With Friends word