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

Meanwhile, alcohol has a calming, sedative effect because of its role as a nervous system depressant. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 6 Aug. 2025

Osbourne revealed in January 2020 that he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — a nervous system disorder that affects movement — in 2003. —Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025

That means limiting anything that might put your body into fight-flight, including intense workout classes, which can further activate the body’s survival response and prolong nervous system dysregulation. —Mélanie Defouilloy, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2025

Nadeau and Tovar share the subtle but telling signs of how this nervous system response can show up in parents’ lives. —Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 4 Aug. 2025

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