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

Herbert, a self-confessed "golf nerd", knew how close he was to history and despondently stooped down with his hands on his knees after missing the putt.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

That’s the part of this that, as a science nerd, I’m the most interested in.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

Wolfhard, a true-blue music nerd, has been described online as an archetypical example of the “child of a Gen X cool dad,” in the same vein as Olivia Rodrigo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Something you should know about me: I am, deeply and sincerely, a sketch comedy nerd.

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

Looking like that, why are you such a nerd?

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

But Allison and I rehearsed it like a play, and we would just run lines like little theater nerds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

"No-one's noticed it yet, so I'm sitting here waiting, like, 'Come on, nerds, figure this out!'"

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

Tech CEOs used to be literal nerds, owning if not embracing their unstylishness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

“What are you four nerds so excited about?” said Haley Daley as she waltzed past with the gaggle of popular girls in her royal court.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• geek