What does "nerve" mean?
A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics.
Nerve
/nɝv/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics.
- Grammar: nerve is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: boldness, afferent neuron, animate, annoy.
- Useful contrasts: cow, cowardice, denervate.
- Usage evidence: You've got a nerve to say such a thing!
How to use "nerve"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nerve" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nerve" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nerve" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nerve" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nerve" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "boldness" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nerve", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics.
"The nerves can be seen through the skin."
- 2 impudent aggressiveness wordnet
- 3 A neuron. colloquial, nonstandard
- 4 the courage to carry on wordnet
- 5 A vein in a leaf; a grain in wood.
"Some plants have ornamental value because of their contrasting nerves."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body wordnet
- 7 Courage; boldness; audacity; gall.
"He had the nerve to enter my house uninvited."
- 8 Patience; stamina; endurance, fortitude.
"The web-team found git-sed is really a time and nerve saver when doing mass changes on your repositories"
- 9 One's neural structures considered collectively as, and conceptually equated with, one's psyche. in-plural
"All these rationalizations for asinine behavior are getting on my nerves."
- 10 Mental agitation caused by fear, stress or other negative emotions. in-plural
"Ellie had a bad case of nerves before the big test; she was a bundle of nerves."
- 11 The elastic resistance of raw rubber or other polymers to permanent deformation during processing.
"The nerviness (ability to recover quickly from strain or stretching) ... generally requires it to be broken down or masticated on the mill before the other compounding ingredients are added. In the break-down operation, heat is inherently generated by the sheer action of the milling or mixing equipment on the polymer. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain the desired low temperatures during the milling or mixing... An object of this invention is to reduce the inherent nerve of ... polymers ... during break-down."
- 12 Sinew, tendon. obsolete
"Come on; obey: / Thy nerves are in their infancy again, / And have no vigour in them."
Verb
- 1 To give courage. transitive
"May their example nerve us to face the enemy."
- 2 get ready for something difficult or unpleasant wordnet
- 3 To give strength; to supply energy or vigour. transitive
"The liquor nerved up several of the men after their icy march."
- 4 To perform a neurectomy on (someone or something). informal, transitive
"She has been trying everything (wedge pads, bar shoes, etc.) and he is still dead lame. Someone has suggested nerving him, which (I believe - correct me if I am wrong!) involves cutting the main nerve in his foot so he can be ridden without pain."
- 5 To get on (someone’s) nerves; to annoy, irritate, or bother (someone). informal, rare, transitive
"I guess, my previous message never came in the net..so again: (hope, i don't nerve anyone) We want to combine different LAN's via fiberoptic cable (Monomode) to the Internet."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To be nervous. informal, intransitive, rare
"Mathias slowly leads his hand down to the holster... yeah, cool steel... his fingers wrap around the grip of his Smith & Wesson's, dragging it out, aiming and... In other words: Stop nerving, damiac14!"
Example
"You've got a nerve to say such a thing!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nerve"?
Common synonyms include: boldness, afferent neuron, animate, annoy, anxiety, aplomb.
How do you use "nerve" in a sentence?
You've got a nerve to say such a thing!
How do you pronounce "nerve"?
Pronounced /nɝv/.
Etymology
Recorded since circa 1374 as Middle English nerve, from Medieval Latin nervus (“nerve”), from Latin nervus (“sinew”). Doublet of neuron and sinew. Verb verb sense 4 is chiefly a semantic loan from German nerven.