nerve
Americannoun
-
nerves
plural
-
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.
-
a sinew or tendon.
to strain every nerve.
-
firmness or courage under trying circumstances.
an assignment requiring nerve;
to lose your nerve at the very last moment.
- Synonyms:
- resolution, fortitude, intrepidity, steadfastness
-
boldness; audacity; impudence; impertinence.
He had the nerve to say that?
-
nerves, nervousness.
an attack of nerves.
-
strength, vigor, or energy.
a test of nerve and stamina.
- Antonyms:
- weakness
-
(not in technical use) pulp tissue of a tooth.
-
Botany. a vein, as in a leaf.
-
a line, or one of a system of lines, extending across something.
verb (used with object)
-
nerves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
nerved,
past participle, past
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nerving
present participle
idioms
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bundle of nerves. see bundle of nerves.
-
have nerves of steel, to be able to control one’s fear or unease and remain calm and competent, even in the worst of circumstances.
I thought I had nerves of steel, but when we had to dissect a pig, I turned into a jellyfish.
-
get on one's nerves, to irritate, annoy, or provoke one.
Boisterous children get on my nerves.
noun
-
any of the cordlike bundles of fibres that conduct sensory or motor impulses between the brain or spinal cord and another part of the body
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courage, bravery, or steadfastness
-
to become timid, esp failing to perform some audacious act
-
informal boldness or effrontery; impudence
he had the nerve to swear at me
-
muscle or sinew (often in the phrase strain every nerve )
-
a large vein in a leaf
-
any of the veins of an insect's wing
-
to mention or bring to mind a sensitive issue or subject
verb
-
to give courage to (oneself); steel (oneself)
-
to provide with nerve or nerves
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
nervesimple
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nervessimple
-
have nervedperfect
-
has nervedperfect
-
am nervingprogressive
-
are nervingprogressive
-
is nervingprogressive
-
have been nervingperfect progressive
-
has been nervingperfect progressive
Past
-
nervedsimple
-
had nervedperfect
-
was nervingprogressive
-
were nervingprogressive
-
had been nervingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nerve
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “nerve, tendon,” from Latin nervus “sinew, tendon”; akin to Greek neûron ( see neuron); replacing Middle English nerf, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
A nerve is a group of fibers that send sensation or physical feeling to the brain. Back pain can sometimes be caused by a damaged or pinched nerve. Your body depends on your nerves for sensing pain, heat, and cold — not to mention making it possible for you to move your muscles. You can also use the word nerve to mean bravery or daring: "She didn't know if she'd have the nerve to skydive when she was finally up in the plane." In the 1500s, to nerve was "to ornament with threads." All of these come from a Latin root, nervus, "sinew, tendon, cord, or bowstring."
Vocabulary lists containing nerve
"Raymond's Run"
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Psychology
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Human Anatomy and Physiology - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
Located in Albany near the Canadian border, the New York State Capitol is the nerve center of the state government and contains both houses of the state's legislature.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
He obviously hit a nerve, which revealed there was, in fact, a story there waiting to be told.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Roberts said Wednesday that the results suggested the injury was more muscular, rather than nerve related.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
It remains widely prescribed for epilepsy, nerve pain and anxiety.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
At a speech in Salt Lake City, Humphrey summoned the nerve to break with Johnson.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
“My nerves motivated me, but then they turned around and paralyzed me,” she wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Other research suggests that cancer cells may move along nerves as they leave the original tumor and metastasize.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Some said they did have side effects, with one feeling tired and a bit queasy "almost like nerves" when he first started but adding he felt that was worth it for the results he saw.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Tirante called the victory the "best win of my career", adding: "I managed the nerves of playing a legend like Novak. It was all so much pressure."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Gran gave the appropriate head nods and “uh-huhs” whenever I paused to take in a breath and calm my jittery nerves.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
“He can get a little nerved up in the paddock,” said Shirreffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2021
Then followed a few scruffy years on local TV, including his celebrated stint as a smart-aleck weatherman, before he nerved himself to head to Los Angeles in 1975.
From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2017
Less a teen-age Rangerphile than an arachnophobe encountering a tarantula, I nerved myself to walk over to where Lindsay sat and confronted him, boy to man.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 19, 2015
Her father, a Texas oil engineer who had nerved himself to attend only at the last minute, cheered wildly.
From Time Magazine Archive
This means that what is probable changes over time; but Locke never nerved himself up to take the further step of saying that knowledge itself changes over time.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Amateur championships nerving himself up to proper pitch.
From Time Magazine Archive
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
As the story starts, the singer is nerving herself to ask a doctor whether or not she has a cancer.
From Time Magazine Archive
She stood outside nerving herself for the ordeal, knowing her desk would be the only one without flowers.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
There is a glorious hope shining across the cancer waste, and it is nerving the will of research with unconquerable perseverance.
From The Whole Armour of God by John Henry Jowett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
