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

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

He comes over laughing, pulls up to me, looks at my monitor, gives me stage fright, then elbows me and says, “You sure you want to frame it like that?”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

In a memoir, “Don’t Block the Blessings,” LaBelle credits Brown for curing her stage fright.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

“I just get stage fright in front of people,” I tell her.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina