nervous system

noun

: the bodily system that in vertebrates is made up of the brain and spinal cord, nerves, ganglia, and parts of the receptor organs and that receives and interprets stimuli and transmits impulses to the effector organs see autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system

Examples of nervous system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is because their nervous systems synchronize and the sense of looming threat drops. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026

The Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy star announced less than a year ago that he had been diagnosed with ALS, a nervous system disease that causes loss of muscle control and gets worse over time. —Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026

The relentless flow of appalling events eventually overloads the nervous system; the rising tide of brutality, which once seemed shocking, comes to seem unremarkable. —David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026

Turns out jellyfish and sea anemones – among the ancient creatures with a nervous system instead of a brain – have a very similar sleeping routine to our own. —New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nervous system

• cryptosystem
• ecosystem
• intersystem
• multisystem
• photosystem
• subsystem

Kids Definition

nervous system

noun

: the bodily system that receives stimuli, decides on their importance, and sends nerve impulses to the organs of action and that in vertebrates is made up of brain and spinal cord, nerves, ganglia, and parts of the receptor organs

Medical Definition

nervous system

noun

: the bodily system that in vertebrates is made up of the brain and spinal cord, nerves, ganglia, and parts of the receptor organs and that receives and interprets stimuli and transmits impulses to the effector organs see autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system