Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Well done! good! sometimes used as a noun: as, “with bravo and handclapping,”
  • [It Italian the word is an adjective, and the correct usage is to say bravo to a male singer or actor, brava to a female, and bravi to a company; but in French and properly in English the word is a mere interjection. Careful persons familiar with the Italian usage do, however, discriminate as to gender.]
  • noun A daring villain a bandit; one who sets law at defiance; an assassin or murderer.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A daring villain; a bandit; one who sets law at defiance; a professional assassin or murderer.
  • interjection Well done! excellent! an exclamation expressive of applause.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A hired soldier; an assassin; a desperado.
  • noun A shout of "bravo!"
  • noun The letter B in the ICAO spelling alphabet.
  • interjection Used to express appreciation, especially to a performer.
  • verb To cheer or applaud, especially by saying bravo!

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a cry of approval as from an audience at the end of great performance
  • verb applaud with shouts of `bravo' or `brava'
  • noun a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Italian bravo.

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Examples

  • Off they went highly delighted with the results of the interview, clapping their orator on the back, crying out _sh [= a] bash, sh [= a] bash, bravo, bravo_, and evidently believing the gift of the rupees as entirely due to the eloquence of their comrade.

    A Peep into Toorkisthhan Rollo Gillespie Burslem

  • Tasty stuff but whether or not it should be considered "muy bravo" is a matter of personal preference so don't be afraid to try it.

    restaurant recommendations 2004

  • For a long time they watched the performance with delight, clapping and calling bravo like boys.

    The Project Gutenberg Complete Works of Gilbert Parker Gilbert Parker 1897

  • For a long time they watched the performance with delight, clapping and calling bravo like boys.

    The Trespasser, Volume 3 Gilbert Parker 1897

  • For a long time they watched the performance with delight, clapping and calling bravo like boys.

    The Trespasser, Complete Gilbert Parker 1897

  • Also, I'm increasingly willing to call bravo sierra on most complaints of racial profiling generally (See Heather Mac Donald for the sustained argument here).

    The Corner on National Review Online 2010

  • The expression Accogliere dei "Bravo" che non finivano più is certainly correct in Italian, provided that quotes are used around bravo, which is then perceived as a literal quotation (in the spoken version, the quotes would be rendered by an audible pause before the word bravo).

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XIV No 3 1988

  • Step 5: Comic Riffs says "bravo" to Minneapolis musician Jeremy Messersmith and creative partner Eric Power.

    ANIMATION OF THE DAY: When Star Wars gets a new director's cut Michael Cavna 2010

  • The electric atmosphere, with thousands of white-haired fans screaming "bravo," was contagious.

    How Andr 2010

  • Both deserve a big "bravo," especially considering that they managed to penetrate my Jin/Sun sadness long enough to empathize with them.

    'Lost' Dueling Analysis: 'The Candidate' 2010

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