bravo

plural bravos · plural bravoes · plural bravi

1. A hired soldier; an assassin; a desperado.

   Men have before hired bravos to transact their crimes, while their own person and reputation sat under shelter.

   1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 117

   3 more examples

   As for Rochester, he had not genius enough to enter the lists with Dryden, so he fell upon another method of revenge; and meanly hired bravoes to assault him.

   1753, Theophilus Cibber, The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753)

   "Why should I fight the King of England's bravoes?" inquired Acour in a languid voice of those who stood about him, a question at which they laughed.

   1911, H. Rider Haggard, Red Eve

   Because the headache will always be there, a weapon that never wears out and is as deadly as the bravo’s rapier or Lucrezia's poison vial.

   1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Penguin, published 2010, page 104

   Synonyms: mercenary

2. A shout of "bravo!"

   There was a roar of bravoes rang through the house; Pen bellowing with the loudest.

   1907, Kate Dickinson Sweetser, Boys and girls from Thackeray

3. international standards; plural "bravos"; international standards; plural "bravos"Alternative letter-case form of Bravo from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.

1. Used to express acclaim, especially to a performer.

   Bravo, you have done a brilliant job!

   Synonyms: bravissimo, bully, cock on, congrats, congratulations, encore, fair fucks, full marks

present singular third person bravos · present singular third person bravoes · participle present bravoing · participle past bravoed · past bravoed

1. To cheer or applaud, especially by saying bravo!

   "And my Sunbeam was bravoed, and encored, and crowned with flowers, was she not?"

   1910, May Agnes Fleming, The Baronet's Bride

   1 more example

   Together they had bravoed the great tragedians, and together hopelessly worshipped the beautiful faces, enskied and sainted, of famous actresses.

   1899, Richard Le Gallienne, Young Lives

plural Bravos

1. A surname from Spanish.