bravo

Noun

bravo (plural bravos or bravoes or bravi)

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

   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

Interjection

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, get you, good for someone

Verb

bravo (third-person singular simple present bravos or bravoes, present participle bravoing, simple past and past participle 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
   • 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

Proper noun capitalized: Bravo

Bravo (plural Bravos)

1. A surname from Spanish.