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

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

Here, she discusses the jazz warm-up she’s used for decades, dealing with stage fright and loving the divas she plays.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

What used to fuel her stage fright, she says, was her belief that there was a right way and a wrong way to perform.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2025

"I have stage fright every single concert I've ever done," he later recalled.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2025

It seemed like she had a bad case of stage fright!

From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon