/ breɪv; NAmE / adjective , verb , noun
■ adjective ( braver , brav·est )
1.
( of a person ) willing to do things which are difficult, dangerous or painful; not afraid
SYN courageous :
brave men and women
Be brave!
I wasn't brave enough to tell her what I thought of her.
2.
( of an action ) requiring or showing courage :
a brave decision
She died after a brave fight against cancer.
He felt homesick, but made a brave attempt to appear cheerful.
3.
brave new (sometimes ironic ) new in an impressive way :
a vision of a brave new Britain
► brave·ly adverb
► bravery / ˈbreɪvəri; NAmE / noun [ U ]
SYN courage :
an award for outstanding bravery
acts of skill and bravery
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IDIOMS
- (a) brave new world
- put on a brave face | put a brave face on sth
■ verb
[ vn ] to have to deal with sth difficult or unpleasant in order to achieve sth :
He did not feel up to braving the journalists at the airport.
Over a thousand people braved the elements (= went outside in spite of the bad weather) to attend the march.
■ noun
1.
the brave [ pl. ] people who are brave :
America, the land of the free and the home of the brave
2.
[ C ] ( old-fashioned ) a Native American warrior
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WORD ORIGIN
late 15th cent.: from French , from Italian bravo bold or Spanish bravo courageous, untamed, savage, based on Latin barbarus from Greek barbaros foreign.