/ deə(r); NAmE der/ verb , noun
■ verb
1.
(not usually used in the progressive tenses) to be brave enough to do sth :
She said it as loudly as she dared.
He didn't dare (to) say what he thought.
They daren't ask for any more money.
( literary )
She dared not breathe a word of it to anybody.
There was something, dare I say it , a little unusual about him.
2.
to persuade sb to do sth dangerous, difficult or embarrassing so that they can show that they are not afraid :
[ vn ]
Go on! Take it! I dare you.
[ vn to inf ]
Some of the older boys had dared him to do it.
➡ note at modal
•
IDIOMS
- don't you dare!
- how dare you, etc.
- I dare say
■ noun
[ usually sing. ] something dangerous, difficult or embarrassing that you try to persuade sb to do, to see if they will do it :
( BrE )
He climbed onto the roof for a dare .
( NAmE )
She learned to fly on a dare .
••
GRAMMAR
dare
Dare (sense 1) usually forms negatives and questions like an ordinary verb and is followed by an infinitive with to . It is most common in the negative:
I didn't dare to ask.
•
He won't dare to break his promise.
•
You told him? How did you dare?
•
I hardly dared to hope she'd remember me.
In positive sentences a phrase like not be afraid is often used instead:
She wasn't afraid
(= she dared)
to tell him the truth.
It can also be used like a modal verb especially in present tense negative forms in BrE , and is followed by an infinitive without to :
I daren't tell her the truth.
In spoken English, the forms of the ordinary verb are often used with an infinitve without to :
Don't you dare tell her what I said!
•
I didn't dare look at him.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English durran , of Germanic origin; related to Gothic gadaursan , from an Indo-European root shared by Greek tharsein and Sanskrit dhṛṣ- be bold.