idiom · informal
butterflies in one's stomach
/ˈbʌtərflaɪz ɪn wʌnz ˈstʌmək/BUT·ter·flies·in·one's·STOM·ach
to feel nervous or anxious, usually before an important event
Examples
“I always get butterflies in my stomach before giving a presentation.”
“She had butterflies in her stomach on the morning of the interview.”
“Even experienced actors can have butterflies in their stomach before going on stage.”
Band 8 sentence
“Even though I had prepared thoroughly, I still felt butterflies in my stomach as I walked into the exam room.”
Collocations
- have butterflies in one's stomach
- get butterflies in the stomach
Word family
Common mistakes
have a butterflies in my stomach→have butterflies in my stomach
have butterflies on my stomach→have butterflies in my stomach
Say it for a higher band
5nervous→6anxious→7+butterflies in one's stomach
Synonyms
be nervous
feel anxious
Easily confused
feel sick
“He felt sick before the big speech, but it was mostly nerves.”
Related words
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In Emotions
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