nerve
Americannoun
-
nerves
plural
-
one or more bundles of fibers forming part of a system that conveys impulses of sensation, motion, etc., between the brain or spinal cord and other parts of the body.
-
a sinew or tendon.
to strain every nerve.
-
firmness or courage under trying circumstances.
an assignment requiring nerve;
to lose your nerve at the very last moment.
- Synonyms:
- resolution, fortitude, intrepidity, steadfastness
-
boldness; audacity; impudence; impertinence.
He had the nerve to say that?
-
nerves, nervousness.
an attack of nerves.
-
strength, vigor, or energy.
a test of nerve and stamina.
- Antonyms:
- weakness
-
(not in technical use) pulp tissue of a tooth.
-
Botany. a vein, as in a leaf.
-
a line, or one of a system of lines, extending across something.
verb (used with object)
-
nerves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
nerved,
past participle, past
-
nerving
present participle
idioms
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bundle of nerves. see bundle of nerves.
-
have nerves of steel, to be able to control one’s fear or unease and remain calm and competent, even in the worst of circumstances.
I thought I had nerves of steel, but when we had to dissect a pig, I turned into a jellyfish.
-
get on one's nerves, to irritate, annoy, or provoke one.
Boisterous children get on my nerves.
noun
-
any of the cordlike bundles of fibres that conduct sensory or motor impulses between the brain or spinal cord and another part of the body
-
courage, bravery, or steadfastness
-
to become timid, esp failing to perform some audacious act
-
informal boldness or effrontery; impudence
he had the nerve to swear at me
-
muscle or sinew (often in the phrase strain every nerve )
-
a large vein in a leaf
-
any of the veins of an insect's wing
-
to mention or bring to mind a sensitive issue or subject
verb
-
to give courage to (oneself); steel (oneself)
-
to provide with nerve or nerves
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
nervesimple
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nervessimple
-
have nervedperfect
-
has nervedperfect
-
am nervingprogressive
-
are nervingprogressive
-
is nervingprogressive
-
have been nervingperfect progressive
-
has been nervingperfect progressive
Past
-
nervedsimple
-
had nervedperfect
-
was nervingprogressive
-
were nervingprogressive
-
had been nervingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nerve
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “nerve, tendon,” from Latin nervus “sinew, tendon”; akin to Greek neûron ( see neuron); replacing Middle English nerf, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
A nerve is a group of fibers that send sensation or physical feeling to the brain. Back pain can sometimes be caused by a damaged or pinched nerve. Your body depends on your nerves for sensing pain, heat, and cold — not to mention making it possible for you to move your muscles. You can also use the word nerve to mean bravery or daring: "She didn't know if she'd have the nerve to skydive when she was finally up in the plane." In the 1500s, to nerve was "to ornament with threads." All of these come from a Latin root, nervus, "sinew, tendon, cord, or bowstring."
Vocabulary lists containing nerve
"Raymond's Run"
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Psychology
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Human Anatomy and Physiology - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But the RBA may now be losing its nerve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
As a result, the zebrafish were unable to properly regrow nerve fibers and had difficulty recovering their movement.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
As Béatrice moves further into a long-buried conspiracy, “Chronovisor” tests its audience’s nerve to see if they have what it takes to transport themselves into another dimension, another consciousness.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
No wonder the last Tax Report hit a nerve with readers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
"Do not stop me, what I say, señor. I say it quick, or I lose the nerve. Two weeks—maybe three—I try to get up the nerve."
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
The U.A.E. has tried to calm the nerves of its business community, with high-ranking Emirati officials, who typically maintain a low public profile, meeting with investors and entrepreneurs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Your bank account will thank you after you push past the initial nerves and make the ask.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
As the rocket rumbled along the Space Coast, nerves turned into catharsis for JPL scientists and engineers looking on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
As a result, injuries involving nerves or the spinal cord can cause long-lasting or permanent problems with movement and sensation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
I could put up with it for a few days and then it would get on my nerves.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
“He can get a little nerved up in the paddock,” said Shirreffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2021
Then followed a few scruffy years on local TV, including his celebrated stint as a smart-aleck weatherman, before he nerved himself to head to Los Angeles in 1975.
From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2017
Less a teen-age Rangerphile than an arachnophobe encountering a tarantula, I nerved myself to walk over to where Lindsay sat and confronted him, boy to man.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 19, 2015
A.F.T. has 450 locals, including 32 at college level, but only about 50 are nerved to act like labor unions and clinch collective bargaining agreements.
From Time Magazine Archive
This means that what is probable changes over time; but Locke never nerved himself up to take the further step of saying that knowledge itself changes over time.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Amateur championships nerving himself up to proper pitch.
From Time Magazine Archive
Last week, in the salty little city of Bath, Me., the moment lor which Mrs. Vanderbilt had been nerving herself finally arrived.
From Time Magazine Archive
As the story starts, the singer is nerving herself to ask a doctor whether or not she has a cancer.
From Time Magazine Archive
She stood outside nerving herself for the ordeal, knowing her desk would be the only one without flowers.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Well, our compact,” she went on, in an altered voice, as if nerving herself for an effort.
From The Fire Trumpet A Romance of the Cape Frontier by Bertram Mitford
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
