I. brave 1 S3 /breɪv/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative braver , superlative bravest )
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: Old Italian and Old Spanish bravo 'brave, wild' , from Latin barbarus ; ⇨ ↑ barbarous ]
1 .
a) dealing with danger, pain, or difficult situations with courage and confidence SYN courageous :
brave soldiers
her brave fight against cancer
it is brave of somebody (to do something)
It was brave of you to speak in front of all those people.
b) the brave [plural] brave people:
Today we remember the brave who died in the last war.
2 . very good:
Despite their captain’s brave performance, Arsenal lost 2–1.
brave effort/attempt
the brave efforts of the medical staff to save his life
3 . put on a brave face/front to pretend that you are happy when you are really very upset
4 . brave new world a situation or a way of doing something that is new and exciting and meant to improve people’s lives:
the brave new world of digital television
—bravely adverb :
She smiled bravely.
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THESAURUS
▪ brave showing that you are not afraid to do things that other people find dangerous or difficult:
I think he was incredibly brave to do a parachute jump.
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a brave attempt to change the system
▪ courageous /kəˈreɪdʒəs/ especially written very brave – used especially about someone fighting for what they believe in, or fighting against a disease:
a courageous speech
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her courageous fight against cancer
▪ daring brave and willing to take a lot of risks:
a daring escape from a prison camp
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a daring fighter pilot
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a daring thing to do
▪ bold willing to make difficult decisions or say what you think, even though it may involve risks:
It was a bold move to set up his own company.
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She was very bold in criticizing the leadership.
▪ intrepid written willing to do dangerous things or go to dangerous places:
an intrepid traveller
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We sent our intrepid reporter to find out what is happening.
▪ adventurous used about someone who enjoys going to new places and doing new, possibly dangerous, things:
More adventurous visitors can go skiing or snowboarding.
▪ fearless not afraid of anything or anyone:
a fearless campaigner for human rights
▪ heroic very brave and admired by many people:
heroic rescuers
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Despite heroic efforts to save him, he died.
▪ plucky brave and determined – often used in newspapers:
Plucky Megan, aged 10, has beaten cancer twice.
II. brave 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to deal with a difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant situation:
I decided to take the train to work rather than brave the traffic.
brave the elements/weather etc (=go out in bad weather)
More than 100 people braved the elements and attended the rally.
2 . brave it out to deal bravely with something that is frightening or difficult
III. brave 3 BrE AmE noun
[countable] a young fighting man from a Native American tribe