nerd

American  

[nurd] / nɜrd /

Rarely nurd

noun

• nerds
  plural

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.

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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!

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!

nerd British  

/ nɜːd /

noun

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

   a computer nerd

2. a stupid and feeble person

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nerdish
  adjective
• nerdy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nerds
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of nerd

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

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Compare meaning

How does nerd compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dork vs. nerd

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Explanation

If you hesitate to tell other people everything you know about computer programming, it might be because you're afraid they'll think you're a computer nerd, or someone with a single-minded interest in computers. The noun nerd is used to describe someone who is an expert in one particular thing, like computers, grammar, or "Star Wars" movies. Nerd can also mean someone lacking social skills, or a geeky, awkward person. The word nerd was popularized in the 1950s after showing up in the 1950 Dr. Seuss book "If I Ran the Zoo." A Dr. Seuss nerd would be sure to know this fact.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nerd nerds

He was a good student, especially in math, but not a nerd.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

I’m a science nerd who has tried every gadget under the sun.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Any comic book fan knows that Spider-Man's secret identity is Peter Parker, a science nerd who gained superhero powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

More than a decade ago, a local data nerd was able to obtain taxi commission data and cross-reference it with photos on celebrity gossip blogs to purportedly show that some celebrities didn’t tip their drivers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Boaz, the handsome nerd who could not show up on time if his life depended on it, knew something she did not, in her cinema.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

But the goal has been somewhat attenuated lately by media fragmentation, with today’s nerds satisfying their curiosity on forums largely disconnected from mainstream audiences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Gryffindor and Slytherin maintain a traditional rivalry, the Ravenclaw nerds out about magical history and the Hufflepuff attempts to mediate them all.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Only the location and name render it anything more than a UFC state fair: Comic-Con for fight nerds.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

"It is exciting, it's not ten nerds in a room! It's a full arena, it's a pretty big thing," he said.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

“So,” said Noor, changing the subject, “what’s this photo club thing? A bunch of nerds clicking away? ”

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

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Related Words

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