1 C1 idiomatic informal
To gather courage or resolve in preparation for something difficult or frightening.
"She nerved herself up and walked into the interview room."
nerve up
C1 informal intransitive
To summon the courage or resolve to do something frightening or unpleasant.
In plain English
To force yourself to be brave enough to do something scary.
What does "nerve up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Usage tip
Relatively rare. More common in older texts. Often used reflexively: 'nerve yourself up'. 'Pluck up courage' or 'muster up courage' are far more common alternatives today.
Words that pair with "nerve up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
courage oneself
How to conjugate "nerve up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
nerve up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
nerves up
he/she/it
Past simple
nerved up
yesterday
Past participle
nerved up
have + pp
-ing form
nerving up
continuous
Hear "nerve up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "nerve up"
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