nerves
Britishplural noun
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the imagined source of emotional control
my nerves won't stand it
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anxiety, tension, or imbalance
she's all nerves
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a very nervous person
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to irritate, annoy, or upset one
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nerves allow it to receive signals from the brain, which activates the tissue when the body senses cold.
From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2026
Nerves help send that message to the brain, which tells your hand to scratch.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
The Nerves: Scott worried more about the post-episode “Severance” podcast with executive producer Ben Stiller and letting spoiler-y details slip too soon.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2025
Nerves would have been understandable as he once again stared across at Carlos Alcaraz, with whom his enthralling rivalry entered the stratosphere following their epic French Open final.
From BBC • Jul. 13, 2025
Nerves twitched, and the vein in one wrist began palpitating.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
