nerve
noun
one or more bundles of fibers forming part of a system that conveys impulses of sensation, motion, etc., between the brain or spinal cord and other parts of the body.
had been nerving
-
past perfect progressiveof nerve.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Last week, in the salty little city of Bath, Me., the moment lor which Mrs. Vanderbilt had been nerving herself finally arrived.
From Time Magazine Archive
All the voyage from Phaleron he had been nerving himself for this ordeal; his composure did not desert now.
From A Victor of Salamis by William Stearns Davis
They had walked up the short garden path, leaving Dick to settle with the cabman, who had been nerving himself for a tussle, and was surprised to find it unnecessary.
From The Squire's Daughter Being the First Book in the Chronicles of the Clintons by Archibald Marshall
He had been nerving himself for just this crisis, and his muscles were ready primed for a quick leap.
From Woodcraft or, How a Patrol Leader Made Good by Alan Douglas
All that evening he had been nerving himself to go in there alone and in the dark, but now he could have turned and run like a country boy passing a graveyard at night.
From The False Gods by George Horace Lorimer
