definition of the word dare

From Old English durran.

• (UK) {IPA: /deə(ɹ)/, SAMPA: /de@(r)/

  Rhymes: -eə(r)

   Audio (US)^{help, file}

to dare (third-person singular simple present dare or dares, present participle daring, simple past dared, or archaic durst, past participle dared)

1. (intransitive) To have enough courage (to do something).

   I wouldn't dare argue with my boss.

2. (transitive) To defy or challenge (someone to do something)

   I dare you to kiss that girl.

3. (transitive) To have enough courage to meet or do something, go somewhere, etc.; to face up to

   Will you dare death to reach your goal?

• Dare is a semi-modal verb. The speaker can choose whether to use the auxiliary "to" when forming negative and interrogative sentences. For example, "I don't dare (to) go" and "I dare not go" are both correct. Similarly "Dare you go?" and "Do you dare (to) go?" are both correct.
• In negative and interrogative sentences where "do" is not used, the third-person singular form of the verb is usually "dare" and not "dares": "Dare he go? He dare not go."
• Colloquially, "dare not" can be contracted to "daren't".
• The expression dare say, used almost exclusively in the first-person singular and in the present tense, means "think probable". It is also spelt daresay.

• daredevil

Definition from Wiktionary Content avaible with GNU Free Documentation License

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