- nerve
- noun1 in the bodyADJECTIVE▪ pinched (AmE), trapped (BrE)▪ sensitive▪ damaged▪ facial, optic, sciatic, spinal, etc.▪ peripheral▪ sensoryVERB + NERVE▪ damage, pinch (AmE), strain, trap (BrE)▪
He damaged a nerve in his spine.
▪ sever▪ stimulateNERVE + VERB▪ go, lead, run▪The nerve runs from the eye to the brain.
▪ transmit sth▪The nerves transmit pain.
▪ supply sth▪ control sth▪The vagus nerve controls heart rate and breathing.
NERVE + NOUN▪ bundle, cell, ending, fibre/fiber, sheath, tissue▪ pathway▪ activity, function▪ impulse, signal▪ stimulation▪ damage, injury▪ disease, dysfunction, paralysis▪ pain▪ gasPREPOSITION▪ along a/the nerve▪The message travels along the nerve to the brain.
▪ nerve in▪He's been off work with a trapped nerve in his back.
▪ nerve to▪Cutting the nerves to the stomach does not affect hunger.
PHRASES▪ every nerve in sb's body▪Intense pain shot through every nerve in his body.
▪ hit a nerve, strike a (raw) nerve, touch a (raw) nerve (all figurative)▪My remarks about divorce had unwittingly touched a raw nerve.
2 nerves mental stateADJECTIVE▪ steady▪ bad, frayed, frazzled, jangled, shattered, taut▪At the end of a day's teaching, her nerves were absolutely shattered.
VERB + NERVES▪ fray, stretch▪Her nerves were stretched to breaking point.
NERVES + VERB▪ be on edge▪After the bomb, my nerves were on edge.
▪ be shot (informal)▪Her nerves were shot from all the things happening around her.
▪ jangle▪His nerves jangled every time the phone rang.
▪ get the better of sb▪He uncharacteristically allowed nerves to get the better of him in yesterday's game.
PHRASES▪ a battle of nerves, a war of nerves▪The union has been fighting a war of nerves with the management over pay.
▪ get on sb's nerves▪His endless whining really gets on my nerves.
▪ nerves of steel▪You need nerves of steel to be a good poker player.
▪ a strain on sb's nerves▪Caring for him while he was so ill has been a great strain on her nerves.
3 nerves nervous stateADJECTIVE▪ exam (esp. BrE), first-night (BrE)▪I've never suffered from first-night nerves.
▪ jittery (AmE)▪It gave me time to calm my jittery nerves before meeting her.
VERB + NERVES▪ calm, control, ease, settle, soothe, steady▪She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.
▪ suffer fromPHRASES▪ an attack of nerves▪I had an attack of nerves just before I went on stage.
▪ a bag of nerves, a bundle of nerves▪By the time of the interview, I was a bundle of nerves.
4 courageVERB + NERVE▪ have▪I didn't have the nerve to ask.
▪ lack▪ lose▪At the last minute she almost lost her nerve.
▪ keep▪He kept his nerve to win a thrilling game.
▪ find▪You must find the nerve to ask for more money.
▪ gather, steel▪Steeling my nerve, I jumped the first bar.
▪ take▪It took a lot of nerve to stand up and speak.
NERVE + VERB▪ break, fail (sb)▪At the last moment her nerve failed her.
PHRASES▪ a failure of nerve, a loss of nerve▪ a test of nerve▪Singing in front of so many people was a real test of nerve.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
