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lose one's nerve

Idioms

Become frightened or timid, lose courage. For example, I wanted to ski down the expert slope but then I lost my nerve. This expression employs nerve in the sense of “courage or boldness.” [Early 1900s]

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.

Chelsea captain Terry slipped as he missed his penalty in 2008 The tendency to lose one's nerve - or "choke" - was seen in graphic fashion in the Masters at Augusta earlier this month.

From BBC

I know what it is to lose one's nerve.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023