What does ‘have butterflies in your stomach’ mean?
To “have butterflies in your stomach” means to feel nervous anticipation. A 20th-century idiom, not in Brewer's 1898; the image describes a fluttering sensation before a big event.
Origin
- A 20th-century idiom, not in Brewer's 1898; the image describes a fluttering sensation before a big event.
How to use it
- Very common about auditions, dates, and performances.
- Example: I had butterflies in my stomach before the interview.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.