A feeling of nervousness. The butterflies in my stomach almost kept me from going on stage and performing.The butterflies in my stomach are really bad, Mom. I don't think I can go out there and pitch.Even though I'm student council president, I always get butterflies in my stomach before I have to make announcements in front of the whole school.
a nervous feeling in one's stomach. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give someone~.) Whenever I have to speak in public, I get butterflies in my stomach.She always has butterflies in her stomach before a test.It was not frightening enough to give me butterflies in my stomach, but it made me a little apprehensive.
Fluttering sensations caused by a feeling of nervous anticipation. For example, I always get butterflies in my stomach before making a speech. This term likens a nervous feeling to that resulting from swallowing live butterflies that fly about inside one. [c. 1900]
If you have butterflies in your stomach, you feel very nervous about something that you have to do. He seemed so full of enthusiasm that I felt foolish still having butterflies in my stomach.Now I can go there as a competitor, I'm starting to feel the butterflies in my stomach already. Note: Butterflies is also used in many other structures and expressions with a similar meaning. Any jockey who says he doesn't get butterflies down at the start is telling lies.Carol felt butterflies tumbling in her guts.
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