put on a brave face

verb

To behave in a brave or stoic manner.

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Meanings

verbput on a brave face (third-person singular simple present puts on a brave face, present participle putting on a brave face, simple past and past participle put on a brave face)

present singular third person puts on a brave face · participle present putting on a brave face

  1. idiomaticinformalTo behave in a brave or stoic manner.

    [You] put on a brave face, but the inside of your mind is on overdrive and your heart is full of fear and worry. You suddenly look at the people around you and see their pain so clearly.

    (Can we date this quote?), Jeanine Patten-Coble, Struck by Hope: The True Story of Answering God’s Call and the Creation of Little Pink Houses of Hope, Read the Spirit Books, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
put a brave face on

Translations

Finnish esittää rohkeaa
  • esittää rohkeaaTranslations
French faire bonne contenance
  • faire bonne contenanceTranslations
Polish robić dobrą minę do złej gry, zrobić dobrą minę do złej gry
  • robić dobrą minę do złej gryTranslations
  • zrobić dobrą minę do złej gryTranslations
Russian храбри́ться
  • храбри́ться (xrabrítʹsja)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

put on a brave face. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20a%20brave%20face

MLA

“put on a brave face.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20a%20brave%20face. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put on a brave face,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20a%20brave%20face.

Source: put on a brave face on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.