English Dictionary
Definition dare in British English
dare
verb
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.
These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
verb
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
Dare can be used in the following ways:
as an intransitive verb (followed by an infinitive with ‘to’): He doesn’t dare to complain. (without a following infinitive): She never went there on her own – she didn’t dare to.
as a modal verb (followed by an infinitive without ‘to’): No one dared speak. (without a following infinitive): Fight with him if you dare. When dare is a modal verb, the third person singular of the present tense does not end in ‘-s’. When dare is a modal verb, negatives and questions are formed without ‘do’, and the negative dare not can be shortened to daren’t in conversation and in informal writing: Dare he tell her the truth?He dare not/daren’t lie.
as a transitive verb (with an object usually followed by an infinitive with ‘to’): Someone dared him to climb the tree.
if you dare to do something, you are not afraid to do it, even though it may be dangerous or shocking or may cause trouble for you
Neither of the superpowers would have dared use nuclear weapons.
I hardly dare to go into the room without first getting permission.
