courage

cour‧age S3 /ˈkʌrɪdʒ $ ˈkɜːr-/ noun [uncountable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: corage, from cuer 'heart', from Latin cor]
1. the quality of being brave when you are facing a difficult or dangerous situation, or when you are very ill ⇒ bravery OPP cowardice:
Sue showed great courage throughout her illness.
courage to do something
Gradually I lost the courage to speak out about anything.
He did not have the courage to tell Nicola that he was ending their affair.
summon/pluck up the courage (to do something) (=find the courage to do something)
I plucked up the courage to go out by myself.
Driving again after his accident must have taken a lot of courage (=needed courage).
2. have the courage of your (own) convictions to continue to say or do what you think is right even when other people may not agree or approve
⇒ Dutch courage

COLLOCATIONS

verbs

▪ have courage She certainly has a lot of courage.
▪ show courage The pilot showed great skill and courage.
▪ summon (up)/muster your courage (=make yourself feel brave) Summoning all her courage, she got up to see what the noise was.
▪ bolster your courage (=make it stronger) They sang and whistled as they marched, to bolster their courage.
▪ sb’s courage fails (=is not great enough to do something) I was going to jump but my courage failed at the last moment.
▪ something gives you courage (=makes you feel that you have courage) My mother nodded, which gave me the courage to speak up.

phrases

▪ have the courage to do something I didn’t have the courage to say what I really thought.
▪ find the courage to do something You must find the courage to deal with the problem.
▪ pluck up/screw up the courage to do something (=try to find it) He was trying to pluck up the courage to end their relationship.
▪ lack the courage to do something He lacked the courage to look her full in the face.
▪ It takes courage to do something/sth takes courage (=needs courage) It takes courage to make a big change in your life like that.

adjectives

▪ great courage The men had fought with great courage.
▪ enough/sufficient courage Harry plucked up enough courage to ask her out.
▪ personal courage (=the courage of one particular person) Her recovery owed a great deal to her personal courage.
▪ moral courage (=the courage to do the right thing) He said his faith gave him the moral courage to survive his ordeal.
▪ physical courage (=the courage to do something physically dangerous or difficult) It seemed strange that someone of great physical courage could be so unsure of himself in other ways.
▪ political courage (=the courage to take risks in politics) Do our politicians have the political courage to make unpopular decisions?
• • •

THESAURUS

▪ courage the quality of being brave when you are facing a difficult or dangerous situation, or when you are very ill: the courage of the soldiers | She showed great courage throughout her illness. | He finally plucked up the courage (=found the courage) to ask her for a date.
▪ bravery courage in a dangerous or frightening situation, especially when you are fighting in a war: He won a medal for bravery during the Iraq war.
▪ guts informal the courage and determination to do something difficult or unpleasant: It must have taken a lot of guts for him to say that.
▪ heroism very great courage in a dangerous situation: The President praised the heroism of the firefighters.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

cour·age [ˈkʌrɪdʒ] [ˈkɜːrɪdʒ] noun uncountable
the ability to do sth dangerous, or to face pain or opposition, without showing fear
Syn: bravery
• He showed great courage and determination.
• I haven't yet plucked up the courage to ask her.
• moral/physical courage
• courage in the face of danger
see also Dutch courage
more at screw up your courage at screw _v.
Idioms: have the courage of your convictions ▪ take courage ▪ take your courage in both hands
Word Origin:
Middle English (denoting the heart, as the seat of feelings): from Old French corage, from Latin cor ‘heart’.
Thesaurus:
courage [courage] noun U
• He showed great courage in the face of danger.
bravery • • heroism • • nerve • • audacity • • daring • |informal guts • |literary, BrE valour • |AmE valor •
Opp: cowardice
have the courage/bravery/nerve/audacity/guts
show courage/bravery
doing sth takes courage/bravery/nerve/guts
an act of courage/bravery/heroism/valour
Courage or bravery? Courage is often about facing opposition; bravery is more often about facing physical danger or pain
• They lack the moral courage to speak out.
• He received the medal as an award for bravery.

Example Bank:
• He lacked the courage to try something new.
• He showed great calmness and courage under fire.
• I admire your courage in saying what you think.
• I didn't have the courage to tell him.
• I finally plucked up enough courage to speak to Rachel.
• It takes courage to sing in public.
• This is a chance for him to show leadership and political courage.
• an act of personal courage that moved people
• stories of incredible physical courage
• I haven't yet plucked up the courage to ask her.
• She displayed remarkable courage in the face of danger.
• Unfortunately, they lack the moral courage to speak out against what is happening.

• You need to have the courage of your convictions.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

courage

courage /ˈkʌr.ɪdʒ/ US /ˈkɝː-/
noun [U]
the ability to control your fear in a dangerous or difficult situation:
They showed great courage when they found out about their baby's disability.
[+ to infinitive] People should have the courage to stand up for their beliefs.
It took me ages to summon/pluck up the courage to ask for a promotion.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

courage

[kʌ̱rɪʤ, AM kɜ͟ːr-]
♦♦♦
1) N-UNCOUNT Courage is the quality shown by someone who decides to do something difficult or dangerous, even though they may be afraid.
→ See also Dutch courage
  General Lewis Mackenzie has impressed everyone with his authority and personal courage...
  They do not have the courage to apologise for their actions.
  Syn:
  bravery
2) PHRASE: PHR after v If you have the courage of your convictions, you have the confidence to do what you believe is right, even though other people may not agree or approve.
to pluck up the courage → see pluck
  Developers should have the courage of their convictions and stick to what they do best.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

courage

cour·age /ˈkɚrɪʤ/ noun [noncount] : the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous
• The troops showed great courage [=bravery] in battle.
• She has the courage to support unpopular causes.
• It takes courage to stand up for your rights.
• I finally worked/got up the courage [=nerve] to tell him the bad news.
• They showed great courage [=fearlessness] and determination.
• Eventually she summoned (up) the courage to confront him.
• They showed courage under fire. [=they were brave while they were being shot at or while they were being strongly criticized]
• He has the courage of his convictions. [=he is not afraid to do what he believes is right]