couragecour‧age /ˈkʌrɪdʒ $ ˈkɜːr-/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] 
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).2have 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 courageCOLLOCATIONSverbshave 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.somebody’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.phraseshave 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/something takes courage (=needs courage)· It takes courage to make a big change in your life like that.adjectivesgreat 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?THESAURUScourage 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.
WORD ORIGINcourage
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French corage, from cuer ‘heart’, from Latin corEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Driving again after his accident must have taken a lot of courage.
- Nelson Mandela will be remembered for his courage and integrity in the struggle against apartheid.
- Private Smith was recognized for her courage.
- She showed great courage during her long illness.
- He is capable of cold-blooded or berserk courage in desperate moments yet is constantly afraid of being cowardly.
- He was mustering up the courage to quit when Spider touched him on the shoulder.
- Her courage in the face of death is an example to us all.
- If they lacked the courage to fight for themselves and for their good names, how could they fight for any-one else?
- In the face of such talent, not to say courage, how could I expose her?
- Service, under such appalling conditions, is testimony indeed to his courage.
- Tapping into that courage demands more than intellectual commitment and tough decision making.
- This would take some courage but something inside her was urging her to be honest.
THESAURUS
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.
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.
informal the courage and determination to do something difficult or unpleasant: · It must have taken a lot of guts for him to say that.
very great courage in a dangerous situation: · The president praised the heroism of the firefighters.
Longman Language Activatorthe ability to behave bravely the ability to behave bravely when you are in danger, suffering illness, or pain, or when other people are opposing you: · She showed great courage during her long illness.· Nelson Mandela will be remembered for his courage and integrity in the struggle against apartheid.take courage (=need courage): · Driving again after his accident must have taken a lot of courage.
the ability to behave bravely in a dangerous situation, for example during a war: · After the war, my uncle was awarded a medal for bravery.· Gina surprised us all with her bravery and endurance.· It was an act of the utmost bravery and disregard for personal safety.
informal the ability and determination to do something difficult or dangerous that other people are afraid to do: · I don't think he can possibly win, but you've got to admire his guts.have guts: · Whatever else you may say about Sally, she certainly has guts.it takes guts to do something (=you need guts to do something): · It took guts and determination to overcome such a severe handicap.
the ability to remain calm and confident in a dangerous, difficult, or frightening situation: · In a scary situation like that you need someone with plenty of nerve.· After a three day siege the kidnapper's nerve failed and he gave himself up to the police.it takes a lot of nerve to do something (=you need a lot of nerve to do something): · It takes a lot of nerve to report a colleague for sexual harassment.
to be brave enough to do something · None of the other people were brave enough to stand up to him.· Maybe if you were brave enough to ask her out she'd go to a movie with you.· Anyone brave enough to get this far would then find an electrified fence blocking their way.
to be brave enough to do something that is dangerous or that you are afraid of doing -- used in questions, negatives, and sentences beginning with 'if': · My sister used to steal things from stores, but I would never dare.not dare (to) do something: · No one dared to go into the old house at night.· She was so high up now that she didn't dare look down.dare do something: · Dare we take this decision without consulting the Prime Minister?
to be brave enough to do something unpleasant or difficult that other people are afraid to do spoken: · I know he made a mistake, but at least he had the guts to admit it!· Sarah's the only one who has the guts to speak her mind.
to be calm and confident enough to do something that is frightening or dangerous: · Not many people have the nerve to stand up and speak in front of a large audience.· I can't believe he had the nerve to show up at the party after what he said about Janet.
to force yourself to be brave and do something that you are afraid of doing, after thinking about it for a long time: · I eventually plucked up the courage to tell my parents that I was going to go and live in Canada.· David loves Julie but he can't get up enough courage to ask her to marry him.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs Alice was a woman of indomitable spirit. Finally I mustered up the courage to ask her out. Her long illness was gradually sapping Charlotte’s strength. It takes courage to admit you are wrong.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· She certainly has a lot of courage.
· The pilot showed great skill and courage.
(=make yourself feel brave)· Summoning all her courage, she got up to see what the noise was.
(=make it stronger)· They sang and whistled as they marched, to bolster their courage.
(=is not great enough to do something)· I was going to jump but my courage failed at the last moment.
(=makes you feel that you have courage)· My mother nodded, which gave me the courage to speak up.
phrases· I didn’t have the courage to say what I really thought.
· You must find the courage to deal with the problem.
(=try to find it)· He was trying to pluck up the courage to end their relationship.
· He lacked the courage to look her full in the face.
(=needs courage)· It takes courage to make a big change in your life like that.
adjectives· The men had fought with great courage.
· Harry plucked up enough courage to ask her out.
(=the courage of one particular person)· Her recovery owed a great deal to her personal courage.
(=the courage to do the right thing)· He said his faith gave him the moral courage to survive his ordeal.
(=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.
(=the courage to take risks in politics)· Do our politicians have the political courage to make unpopular decisions?
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· The men were awarded the medals for acts of courage.
· Fire crews showed exceptional bravery.
Alice was a woman of indomitable spirit. Finally I mustered up the courage to ask her out. Her long illness was gradually sapping Charlotte’s strength. It takes courage to admit you are wrong.· Truman's career had developed wholly in the domestic context where he had shown considerable guile and courage.· To step out of bed on to the cold lino, and to begin dressing and shivering, took considerable courage.· Coping with loss and sustaining morale is not easy, requiring considerable courage.
· Their respect for her as she found the courage to speak out gave her still greater courage and self-confidence.· With great courage, Vasseur has blown the whistle on an unacceptable situation.· They had prevailed with great courage in the trenches of tourism, but enough was enough.· Yet some did take a step of great courage.· Sometimes, staying put is a greater act of courage than pulling up stakes and starting anew.· The partisans showed great courage, but some of them had to withdraw from the Parma Apennines down towards Tuscany.· To lead people through periods of fundamental behavior change takes even greater courage.
· To deplore children being crippled by land mines is not really at the pinnacle of human courage, is it?
· A little courage, thought FakhrLI, and I will be a nawab.
· She was far from confident that she possessed the moral courage to endure further revelations from that dark side of her moon.· But nothing will really be solved until we have a government with the moral courage to ban driving entirely.· It is also right to reward physical bravery and moral courage.· The moral courage required on the part of the elderly person to recognise what is happening and not resist should also be saluted.
· Yet such an esoteric statistic took second place to a tale of personal commitment and courage.· If not countermanded by personal courage or other organizational forces, this tendency becomes habitual and self-perpetuating.· But his recovery also owes a great deal to his personal courage.· As far as Castro's personal courage was concerned, his position was admirable and correct.
· He had, too, the rock-like character and physical courage of Chesterton's priest.· The first was physical courage: the swaggering courtship of danger, injury, maiming or even death.· He showed immense physical courage in fighting the illness which left him unable to walk again unaided.
· It will take tremendous political will, courage and humanity to reverse this situation.· But both also have fans who admire their issues-oriented leadership and political courage.· That struggle to free the Democrats from outdated thinking has demanded more political courage than Clinton is usually credited with.
VERB· The police admire his courage but they'd rather he'd dialed 999.· Rather than being denigrated and despised, he was admired for his courage, his steadfastness, his devotion to family.· I can only admire her courage.· They admired courage and feared death.
· It was several minutes before he had found the courage to ask her how she had got to the beach.· When we returned, the fisherwomen had gathered enough courage to ask us to tea.· In the hotel that night she found the courage to ask about it.· He had not had the courage to ask Sokolow directly for such a major and difficult work.
· For all his famous steadfastness, Assad lacked the toughest quality of all: the courage to change.· In doing this I found the second step: The courage to change the things I can.· But his courage did not change the course of history, it simply delayed it a bit.· To lead others through change, you must have the courage to change yourself.
· If we had more courage at Goodison in facing up to the truth unpalatable though it may be things might begin to improve.· You need to find the courage to face the fact that your fears are unreal.· They underlined the pain inflicted on the conquered Gauls and their courage in facing death - alone or with their families.· The man with the courage to face up to the issue was Heisenberg.
· Somehow they must find the courage to accept the challenge.· If I found the courage to begin, it was only because of Aesop.· She was wishing she could find the courage to go through the wood by the path.· You can find courage by focusing relentlessly on performance and people.· Pray heaven she might find the courage to endure the horrors that must lie in store!· Most important, you can find courage within yourself by living the change you wish to bring about.· She resolved that if he couldn't find the necessary courage, she would.· In the process, many of these managers found their perseverance and courage ultimately rewarded.
· He liked her, she knew, although he never seemed to gather the courage to do anything about it.· When we returned, the fisherwomen had gathered enough courage to ask us to tea.· I gathered up all my courage and went home and we went for a walk and I just told him.· So Mark gathered up his courage and talked to his supervisor one April morning.· I gathered my courage, and turned, prepared to look myself in the face.
· He squeezed his eyes shut and swore silently to give himself courage.· But, she gives me courage.· Civil-rights activists were appalled by the new brutality of the police, but it gave courage to ordinary people to become informers.· Bring me proof that the Wicked Witch is dead, and that moment I will give you courage.· And there was a rage around, I knew, that would give courage even to Sebastian.· Their respect for her as she found the courage to speak out gave her still greater courage and self-confidence.· It was almost a religious conviction he had, and one which gave him the courage to carry out his plans.· This information should give you the courage to experiment with indented paragraph formats.
· The Empress, who lacked neither intelligence nor courage, immediately understood the import of what had happened.· If they lacked the courage to fight for themselves and for their good names, how could they fight for any-one else?· She entirely lacked the courage to approach it.· He did not lack courage, but it pained him acutely to see his beloved army bloodied.· One by one everyone else's balloon burst but I lacked the courage to blow too hard.· But Bao Dai, though intelligent, lacked the courage to articulate his ideas.· Or did he know about it and after 2,000 years of Mariolatry lack the courage to correct it?· Indeed, if you as a leader lack the courage to live the change, how can you expect it of others?
· Gradually I lost the courage to speak out about anything or to question anyone.· But he suddenly lost what courage he had bad and just wandered off.· Lying waiting for the family to go to sleep, she had begun to lose courage.· Not until other assigned friars lost courage did his superiors send Serra with his student and confidant Francisco Palou to the work.· Just as she was beginning to lose her courage, Luke's voice stopped, and she breathed a sigh of relief.· All things became a burden, and I lost my courage and will.· Although she started cheerfully, she began to lose her courage as she approached Emminster.
· It had taken the last half-hour to muster the courage to mention the subject yet again.· That you mustered the courage to come here in the first place-we know how disconcerting this sort of thing is for you.· He was mustering up the courage to quit when Spider touched him on the shoulder.
· She walked straight in, feeling she had never needed as much courage in her life before.· You need to find the courage to face the fact that your fears are unreal.· I need to summon my courage for its wild, exhilarating, heart-stopping ride.· She would need some of his courage, and his good fortune.· He needs to find the courage to take such a stand in the name of decent social policy as well.· You need to have the courage of your convictions.
· But why not pluck up the courage to do what you've always wanted?· A year later, I plucked up my courage and became pregnant once more.· I think you should pluck up the courage to invite him out.· After a while, too, some of the more literary residents of Princeton plucked up the courage to speak to him.· Kent suspected that if the fellow ever did pluck up courage to call he would be disappointed.· On three occasions he had plucked up the courage to call her, but had never had a reply.· Eventually I plucked up courage and booked a ticket to Amsterdam with the sole purpose of getting laid.· Nelly begged me not to leave her, and plucking up courage I stayed.
· He would not have gone to Munich himself, he said, but he praised Chamberlain's courage for acting differently.· He lamented their losses, praised their courage, and attributed their lack of success to accidental causes.
· Expressing such views requires courage because it would appear to be taboo to talk about protecting fee income.· Yes, although Mchboob did not think it very serious, even that required some courage.· Such schemes require courage from the government, the co-operation of the opposition and forbearance by unions.· Nonviolence, he said, requires much more courage than violence.· Coping with loss and sustaining morale is not easy, requiring considerable courage.· To make such decisions requires extraordinary courage and self-confidence.· Land invasions are a highly militant form of action, which require courage on the part of those involved.· Governance in democracies, particularly with those issues that are deemed fundamental, requires more than courage.
· But Janice's fear was so great she struggled through two more migraines before screwing up enough courage to try the injection.· Amy had screwed up her courage for this.· I eventually screwed up the courage to write to Richardson, pretending to be a drama student wanting advice.· Opposition politicians are screwing up their courage.
· The partisans showed great courage, but some of them had to withdraw from the Parma Apennines down towards Tuscany.· In proposing such unpalatable measures, albeit with reluctance, the Big Five were showing both realism and courage.· I tried to sound composed, not to show courage but because I suddenly realized it was simply the only alternative.· Truman's career had developed wholly in the domestic context where he had shown considerable guile and courage.· Miriam showed such courage from the time of her childhood.· Another inspiring figure was Keith Chegwin, who also showed great courage by admitting on television that he is an alcoholic.· Too often we just remember the men throughout our history who have shown courage and compassion.
· Gradually I lost the courage to speak out about anything or to question anyone.· Their respect for her as she found the courage to speak out gave her still greater courage and self-confidence.· It takes courage to speak out when one is well known.· We must have traveled two miles before either one of us found the courage to speak.· After a while, too, some of the more literary residents of Princeton plucked up the courage to speak to him.· We notice that they are watching us intently and are working up the courage to speak to us.· We were all very young and shy and none of us had the courage to approach and speak to them.
· To me Conscience and courage stood fleshed out in you.· Mr Grosz was the only senior politician yesterday with the courage to stand up for Communism in front of a hostile audience.
· There is still a way out of this economic mess, if Mr Gorbachev can summon up the courage to take it.· In 1941, Roosevelt conceded failure and Congress summoned the courage to codify the date in law.· Time is required, often to summon the courage necessary to talk about their real problems and difficulties.· When at last he lay sleeping quietly, she summoned all her courage and lit the lamp.· University students summoned the courage to demonstrate for multi-party changes soon after the Lenten letter was read.· I need to summon my courage for its wild, exhilarating, heart-stopping ride.· He summoned his courage and said so to the grim-faced man before he left the sick room.· Feeling small and insignificant, Chesarynth summoned up the courage to move.
· Create impressive graphic designs on your walls; all it takes is courage and a little sleight of hand.· It takes courage for parents to permit themselves to be vulnerable and seek psychological help.· But it would have taken more courage than I could muster.· It took courage for that man to confront a superior.· It takes effort, courage and a sense of humour to love again after a certain age.· It is something which takes courage.· That took a lot of courage and I agree with her completely.· It took a lot of courage for her to finally tell us.
· But it would have been more dignified for both of us had he found the courage to tell me himself.· He hated her and he hated himself for not having the courage to tell her.· Lord Robertson lacked the courage to tell us.
· Since then he has fulfilled many ambitions, learned new skills and tested his courage and physical fitness to the limit.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► your courage/will/nerve fails (you)► work up enthusiasm/interest/courage etc
1the quality of being brave when you are facing a difficult or dangerous situation, or when you are very ill OPP cowardice: - Larry displayed the courage of his convictions by saying no to his supervisor.
- Privatisation used to be a badge of honour worn with pride by these Ministers.
- That, more a badge of honour.
- It had taken every ounce of courage she possessed to board the aircraft after her last experience.
- After a while, too, some of the more literary residents of Princeton plucked up the courage to speak to him.
- But eventually, he plucked up courage to see a solicitor.
- But why not pluck up the courage to do what you've always wanted?
- Eventually I plucked up courage and booked a ticket to Amsterdam with the sole purpose of getting laid.
- I think you should pluck up the courage to invite him out.
- Kent suspected that if the fellow ever did pluck up courage to call he would be disappointed.
- Nelly begged me not to leave her, and plucking up courage I stayed.
- On three occasions he had plucked up the courage to call her, but had never had a reply.
- But Janice's fear was so great she struggled through two more migraines before screwing up enough courage to try the injection.
- I eventually screwed up the courage to write to Richardson, pretending to be a drama student wanting advice.
- These stocks of knowledge can be altered by interactions, through negotiation.
- This ties in with the notion of the negotiable nature of people's stocks of knowledge.
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).2have 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 courageCOLLOCATIONSverbshave 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.somebody’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.phraseshave 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/something takes courage (=needs courage)· It takes courage to make a big change in your life like that.adjectivesgreat 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?THESAURUScourage 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.