Meaning & use
dares
Last updated
“dares” is a form of “dare”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Has enough courage to do something that is risky or frightening.
Grammar: Often followed by to plus a verb: he dares to speak. After dare, the s form is used with he, she and it.
Patterns
- someone dares to do something
- someone dares something
Nobody dares to interrupt the manager when she is on a call.
He rarely dares to say what he really thinks.
She dares to wear bright colors in a very serious office.
verbtransitive
Challenges someone to do something risky, to see whether they will.
Grammar: Takes a person and usually to plus a verb: she dares him to jump.
Patterns
- someone dares someone to do something
Every summer, my cousin dares me to jump off the high rock.
She dares her friends to try the spiciest sauce.
The older boy dares the new kid to cross the creek.
nounplural
Challenges to do something risky, as in a game or contest.
Grammar: Plural of the noun dare, as in truth or dare.
Patterns
- take up a dare
The party game was full of silly dares.
He never says no to dares, however risky they are.
They spent the evening swapping dares and laughing.
Word forms
| base form | dare |
|---|---|
| past tense | dared |
| -ing form | daring |
Common combinations
- dares to speak
- Only one student dares to speak up in class.
- dares anyone to
- She dares anyone to find a better pizza in town.
- dares him to
- His brother dares him to eat a whole chili.
- truth or dares
- Truth or dare is only fun when the dares are harmless.
- takes on dares
- She takes on dares, however silly they are.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ventures
- Ventures suggests going into the unknown with some risk, whereas dares is about courage in the face of a possible consequence.
- challenges
- Challenges is wider and can be serious or formal, while dares often implies a playful or risky test.
- risks
- Risks focuses on accepting danger, but it does not carry the idea of courage or being urged by someone.
- defies
- Defies means openly refusing to obey, which is stronger than simply daring to do something.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dares or dears?
dares vs dears
Dears is the plural of dear, an affectionate noun; it only looks like dares and is unrelated.
Practice
Every time the teacher asks for volunteers, only one student ____ to raise a hand.
Choose one answer.
The subject is one student, a singular third person, and the time is a repeated present habit, so dares is correct. Dare lacks the s, daring is not a finite verb, and dared is past tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dares”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.