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