nerd

American  

[nurd] / nɜrd /

Rarely nurd

noun

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

• nerdish
  adjective
• nerdy
  adjective

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

Alex Campbell, a 30-year-old operator in this system and professional drone-racing competitor, describes himself as more of a nerd than a soldier.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Textualism is the guiding light of the conservative college debate nerd after law school.

From Slate • May 13, 2026

This is a real subculture that people obsess over and I just wanted to find an excuse to nerd about it and also teach people this kind of new era of battle rap.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Henry is captivated by RBIs and winning percentages, but today a stat nerd can go down so many rabbit holes, from exit velocity to spin rate and other metrics captured by modern technology.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

"You know, the nerd in the front of the classroom who everyone ignores..."

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• geek