stage fright

American  

noun

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

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stage fright British  

noun

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

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stage fright Idioms  

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of stage fright

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stage fright

In those interviews, he talked about battling stage fright, and the difficulties of balancing touring commitments with family life.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The rapper and singer will.i.am has played hundreds of shows and sold millions of records, but his latest debut—as a professor of a college class about artificial intelligence—gave him stage fright.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Even better, she’s worked through her stage fright.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

Anisimova was overcome by stage fright when she reached her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last month, losing 6-0 6-0 in only 57 minutes against Poland's Iga Swiatek.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025

This is more than Brahman with a serious case of stage fright.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel