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An NS record, short for Name Server record, specifies which servers are authoritative for a domain's DNS zone — that is, which servers hold the real, definitive records for the domain. When a resolver needs any record for a domain, the NS records tell it where to ask.
NS records exist at two levels. The parent zone (for example the .com registry) publishes NS records that delegate authority for your domain to your DNS provider's name servers, and your own zone publishes matching NS records confirming that delegation. These must agree for DNS to function correctly.
When you change DNS hosting or point a domain at a new provider, you update the NS records at your registrar. Because NS changes redirect where the entire zone is served from, they can take longer to propagate than individual record edits, and a mismatch between parent and child NS records is a common cause of intermittent resolution failures.
For email and general troubleshooting, checking a domain's NS records reveals which provider actually controls its DNS, which is essential context when SPF, MX, or other records are not resolving as expected. If NS records point to the wrong provider, no amount of editing records at the wrong place will take effect.