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

Etymology

Origin of nerd

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

Compare meaning

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

• dork vs. nerd

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

Fry, 42, said she was "here to fulfil the nerd quota" and was taking the responsibility "extremely seriously".

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Burbank is betting big on housing, nerd culture and free parking to revive its downtown scene.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

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

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Math & Money: There’s never been a better time to be a math nerd.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

“Do you realize, Mom, that I’ve never been anything but a nerd? And now I’m going to enter this nerd school, not as a fellow nerd, but as a feared and notorious outlaw?”

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

The union that represents the company’s aerospace engineers and technicians—their motto is “no nerds, no birds”—is months into its first full contract talks in 14 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

It’s built a long-standing resale market where nerds and weeaboos everywhere turned Charizards into cold, hard cash.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 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

“How will they greet one another? With a handshake, a hug or a scowl? These are the dramas that the political nerds like myself love to look for,” Sadhwani said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

“One of his specially selected library nerds stole that book.”

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• geek