mettle
noun
met·tle
| \ ˈme-tᵊl
\
\
Definition of mettle
1a
: vigor and strength of spirit or temperament (see temperament sense 1a)
a girl of … mettle who lost a baby brother to leukemia— Bill Zehme
b
: staying quality : stamina
equipment that proved its mettle proved his mettle in battle
2
: quality of temperament or disposition
gentlemen of brave mettle— William Shakespeare
on one's mettle
: aroused to do one's best
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Other Words from mettle
mettled
\ ˈme-tᵊld
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of mettle in a Sentence
The competition will test her mettle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Many moderate Tories, even those who oppose no-deal, would like to give their new prime minister a chance to prove his mettle. — The Economist, "How Parliament can stop Boris Johnson’s no-deal Brexit," 29 Aug. 2019 For years, state representatives like Dochety have plunked themselves down at the Wintzell's Oyster House oyster bar in downtown Mobile to test their mettle. — Michael Dumas, al.com, "Annual oyster-eating crown goes to Distinguished Young Woman Madison Dochety," 24 June 2019 No one can take away the championship mettle the team showed over the course of this postseason. — Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, "Kurtenbach: It’s a tricky, murky, and expensive (oh so expensive) path ahead for the Warriors," 14 June 2019 Zebley showed his operational mettle in 1999 while tracking a bombing suspect to South Africa, Graff writes. — Tim Elfrink, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump’s latest, and unlikely, target: Aaron Zebley, FBI agent who hunted terrorists," 24 July 2019 This is a wonderful time for art directors and graphic agents just to really show their mettle. — Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, ""The Billboard Has Become King in FYC": Emmy Campaigners Jostle for Limited Space in Peak TV Era," 23 July 2019 But its approach must prove its mettle now more than ever. — latimes.com, "Zara’s hot polka-dot dress shows human brains beating big data," 12 July 2019 The rookies proved valuable immediately, averaging a combined 67 minutes per game during the playoffs, with Gilgeous-Alexander and Shamet earning starting roles and an abundance of praise for their mettle. — Andrew Greif, latimes.com, "Clippers’ draft targets appear to be experienced college players," 18 June 2019 Can championship mettle overcome the most unfortunate of circumstances and bring the Warriors back from a three-games-to-one deficit? — Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, "Kurtenbach: Game 5 brings a big win, but a bigger loss for the Warriors," 10 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mettle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for mettle
mettle
noun
English Language Learners Definition of mettle
: strength of spirit : ability to continue despite difficulties
See the full definition for mettle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
mettle
noun
met·tle
| \ ˈme-tᵊl
\
\
Kids Definition of mettle
: strength of spirit : courage
The competition will test her mettle.
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