hit/strike/touch a nerve
idiom
: to make someone feel angry, upset, embarrassed, etc.
Something she said to him must have hit/struck/touched a nerve. I've never seen him so angry.
His controversial column might have hit a (raw/sensitive) nerve with some readers.
Examples of hit/strike/touch a nerve in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His article hit a nerve, and urban activists were inspired to create the Stop de Kindermoord campaign organization.
Led by Maartje van Putten, a 23-year-old new mother, the body advocated not for school buses but protection from motorists.
—
Carlton Reid, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Yet like Britney’s album, Swag turned out to be a brilliant gimme-more career peak that hit a nerve with the audience, both culturally and creatively.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2025
Scott Laramie – Step-father of Madison Mogen Laramie’s voice, though quieter, hit a nerve, Baden said.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 July 2025
That moment hit a nerve for her, as her mother-in-law rarely speaks to her directly about other family gatherings.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit/strike/touch a nerve
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Carlton Reid, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Yet like Britney’s album, Swag turned out to be a brilliant gimme-more career peak that hit a nerve with the audience, both culturally and creatively.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2025
Scott Laramie – Step-father of Madison Mogen Laramie’s voice, though quieter, hit a nerve, Baden said.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 July 2025
That moment hit a nerve for her, as her mother-in-law rarely speaks to her directly about other family gatherings.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit/strike/touch a nerve
Cite this Entry
“Hit/strike/touch a nerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%2Fstrike%2Ftouch%20a%20nerve. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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