nettle
Americannoun
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any plant of the genus Urtica, covered with stinging hairs.
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any of various allied or similar plants.
verb (used with object)
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to irritate, annoy, or provoke.
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to sting as a nettle does.
idioms
noun
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any weedy plant of the temperate urticaceous genus Urtica, such as U. dioica ( stinging nettle ), having serrated leaves with stinging hairs and greenish flowers
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any of various other urticaceous plants with stinging hairs or spines
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any of various plants that resemble urticaceous nettles, such as the dead-nettle, hemp nettle, and horse nettle
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to attempt or approach something with boldness and courage
verb
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to bother; irritate
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to sting as a nettle does
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nettlesimple
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nettlessimple
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have nettledperfect
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has nettledperfect
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am nettlingprogressive
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are nettlingprogressive
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is nettlingprogressive
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have been nettlingperfect progressive
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has been nettlingperfect progressive
Past
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nettledsimple
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had nettledperfect
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was nettlingprogressive
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were nettlingprogressive
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had been nettlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nettle
before 900; Middle English; Old English netele (noun); cognate with Dutch netel, German Nessel, Norwegian netla
Explanation
If you know what a nettle is—it's a plant with stinging hairs—then you'll have no trouble remembering the verb nettle: it means to annoy, bother, irritate, or bedevil. A kid sister, a mosquito, an angry boyfriend, or a hot, muggy day: all of these are examples of things that might nettle a person. When you nettle someone, you act like a nettle; you annoy, bother, and generally tick off a person. The person who nettles you can be called nettlesome, which means that they're acting like a nettle. I find that the very sound of his voice nettles me. The sound alone makes me wish he would just shut up.
Vocabulary lists containing nettle
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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.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to grasp the nettle.
From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026
In “Chími Nu’am: Native California Foodways for the Contemporary Kitchen,” Olson shares dishes like elk chili beans, nettle tortillas, blackberry-braised smoked salmon and nearly a dozen recipes featuring acorns.
From Salon • Oct. 14, 2024
Anderson's future as a Test cricketer has been the subject of debate for years, but England have finally grabbed the nettle.
From BBC • May 10, 2024
Alana Harris, a member of the Ojibwe Tribe and cafe customer, said the cafe played a large role in helping them access Native foods such as seasonal nettle and cedar teas.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2023
A sea nettle hitting me in the face couldn’t have stung worse.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
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.
