“Butterflies in your stomach” is an English idiom that is used as a way of describing a feeling of nervousness, excitement, or anticipation before doing something or meeting someone, especially for the first time.
An example sentence:
- Just before my job interview this morning, I had butterflies in my stomach.
This means I was nervous and maybe excited at the same time about having the job interview. It felt like there were small butterflies flying around inside my stomach.
There are different verbs you can use before this idiom:
- Have + butterflies in your stomach
- Feel + butterflies in your stomach
- Get + butterflies in your stomach
Situations in which you may have butterflies in your stomach
You may feel butterflies in your stomach when you are first dating someone and so excited to see that special person again. You maybe feel nervous and excited and anxious all at the same time.
You could have butterflies in your stomach before appearing on stage before a large audience because you are nervous or anxious.
Example Sentences
- I had butterflies in my stomach before going on stage to give my speech.
- She always gets butterflies in her stomach before job interviews.
- He had butterflies in his stomach when he was waiting for his date to arrive.
- The athlete felt butterflies in his stomach as he lined up for the race.
Woodward English Chart
Have you ever had butterflies in your stomach?