What does daresay mean?
"Daresay" is a verb meaning to suppose or presume that something is probably true, used today almost exclusively in the set phrase "I daresay." Despite its appearance, the word has nothing to do with courage: it combines "dare" with "say" in an older sense of venturing an opinion, so "I daresay it will rain" simply means "I suppose it will rain." The expression typically conveys polite, unhurried acceptance — sometimes with a faint air of superiority or resignation — and is markedly more at home in British English than in American speech, where "I suppose" or "I guess" fills the same role. It cannot be conjugated freely into other persons or tenses in modern usage; one does not say "he daresays." For writers seeking a slightly formal, understated register of mild assent, "I daresay" remains a charming, if somewhat old-fashioned, choice that instantly lends a sentence an air of measured, gentlemanly judgment.
verbTo suppose or presume that something is true, used almost exclusively in the first-person phrase "I daresay" to express polite concession or tentative agreement.
- To suppose, presume, or accept that something is likely true, used in the fixed first-person expression "I daresay".
"I daresay you're right about the weather turning by evening."
"I daresay she'll arrive late again, knowing her."
""Will it rain tomorrow?" "I daresay it will, judging by those clouds.""
"I daresay" sounds bold, but it actually means the opposite of daring — it's a genteel British way of saying "probably."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of daresay
Daresay is formed from the Middle English verb "dare" (Old English "durran") plus "say" (Old English "secgan"), arising from the now-obsolete sense of "dare" meaning to venture or undertake to do something. The compound emerged in late Middle English, with the formulaic "I dare say" well established by the early modern period. It shares its Germanic root with words such as "daring," "undaunted," and "dastard."
How daresay is actually used
"Daresay" survives almost entirely in the fossilized phrase "I daresay," which carries a tone of mild, sometimes slightly condescending concession rather than actual courage. It is more common and idiomatic in British English than American English, where "I guess" or "I suppose" typically replaces it. The negative form "I don't daresay" is not idiomatic.
Easily confused with daresay
"Dare" means to have the courage or audacity to do something, while "daresay" means merely to suppose or assume something is probably true.