stage fright

See more synonyms for stage fright on Thesaurus.com

noun

nervousness felt by a performer or speaker when appearing before an audience.

Origin of stage fright

First recorded in 1875–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for stage fright

freeze, aphonia, butterflies, mutism

Examples from the Web for stage fright

Historical Examples of stage fright

He'd got stage-fright, or cold feet, or something of the kind.
Shorty McCabe
Sewell Ford
“I shall have stage-fright and spoil everything,” declared Roberta forlornly.
Betty Wales Senior
Margaret Warde
Noticing his stage-fright, the audience tried to encourage him by applause.
Jewish Literature and Other Essays
Gustav Karpeles
It was time to go out and face the party, but he had stage-fright.
The Trail of the Hawk
Sinclair Lewis
"I hope you won't be taken with stage-fright," laughed Cathy.
When Patty Went to College
Jean Webster

British Dictionary definitions for stage fright

stage fright

noun

nervousness or panic that may beset a person about to appear in front of an audience

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with stage fright

stage fright

Acute nervousness when performing or speaking before an audience, as in When John first had to present his findings to the board of directors, stage fright made him stutter. [Second half of 1800s]