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stage fright

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

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for stage fright

stage fright

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

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.