nerd

Rarely nurd

[nurd]

noun

1. a single-minded person obsessed with a hobby or pursuit or with a particular topic.

   My 13-year-old son is a computer nerd.

   I joined a book club and discovered another Jane Austen nerd.

2. a person considered to be socially awkward, boring, unstylish, etc.

verb (used without object)

1. to spend inordinate amounts of time, attention, energy, enthusiasm, etc., on an activity or topic of special interest to oneself; geek.

   I enjoy samurai movies, nerding about samurai movies, and the occasional slice of cake.

   Don't cross the street while you're nerding on your phone—you're likely to get hit!

verb phrase

1. nerd out,  to engage with excessive enthusiasm in a hobby or in discussion about a topic of special interest to oneself.

   Back in the day, I nerded out hardcore over baseball cards.

   We sat there for half an hour while she nerded out on the metaphysical poets.

2. nerd up,  to alter or be altered in a way that shows excessive enthusiasm for a special interest.

   He appears in that film nerded up as a philosophy genius.

   I'm going to nerd up my office with these five Charlie Chaplin posters.

   Wow, this simple conversation about cheese sure nerded up fast!

nerd

/ nɜːd /

noun

1. a boring or unpopular person, esp one obsessed with something specified

   a computer nerd

2. a stupid and feeble person

Other Word Forms

• nerdy adjective
• nerdish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nerd¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1950–55; obscurely derived expressive formation

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. nerd it up, to indulge oneself without restraint in a hobby, game, etc., in which one has an obsessive interest.

   Looking forward to nerding it up with everybody on Comic Trading Day at the store!

Example Sentences

But as a music nerd, who'd devoured back issues of NME magazine as a teenager, she knew what came next: The second album slump.

From BBC

Yes, I am an insufferable nerd: I have been coming to things like this for 20 years.

From BBC

There are other means available too, like using VPNs or alternative messaging apps, previously reserved for tech nerds and those handling sensitive information.

From BBC

Word nerds are correct to read a special meaning into the company’s name.

From Salon

I also really like Young as Nicole, who I admittedly had an affinity for as a drama club nerd in “Never Have I Ever.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• geek