lose one's nerve

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lose one's nerve

verb loses one's nerve · losing one's nerve · lost one's nerve

To stop doing or fail to do something because one lacks courage. Zelensky was adaptable, trained not to lose his nerve under pressure.
Similar: bottle it, chicken out

Opposite: hold one's nerve

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verb

Opposite: hold one's nerve

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MLA

"lose one's nerve." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lose%20one's%20nerve. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lose one's nerve. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lose%20one's%20nerve

Chicago

"lose one's nerve." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lose%20one's%20nerve.

BibTeX

@misc{lose_one_s_nerve_2026,
  title = {lose one's nerve},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lose%20one's%20nerve},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}