nudged; nudging
1
: to touch or push gently
… nudged the cue ball with the tip of the cue.—
Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux
especially
: to seek the attention of by a push of the elbow
… nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy … —J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling 2
: to prod lightly : urge into action
… have been nudged into starting their own ventures …—Janet Bamford
Janet Bamford3
: approach
… its circulation is nudging the four million mark …—Bennett Cerf
Bennett Cerf
: to give a nudge
She nudged and jostled through the crowd.
nudge
noun
nudger
noun
Examples of nudge in a Sentence
I nudged the plate closer to him.
The guard nudged the prisoner forward.
The dog nudged the ball with his nose.
He nudged me and pointed to the deer.
The salesman nudged her into testing out the car.
Album sales are nudging the one million mark.
The price of gold has nudged a little higher.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sliding glass doors by Pella wrap around the dining area, one of many design choices that nudge people to spend as little time inside as possible, says homeowner Luke Marker.
—Kelly Ryan Kegans, Midwest Living, 22 May 2026
The 6-to-1 grocery method — six vegetables, five fruits, four proteins, three starches, two sauces, one fun item — has caught on as a low-effort way to nudge the cart toward what the research keeps recommending.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026
Amazon left its full-year spending outlook at $200 billion and Alphabet nudged up its capex 2026 guidance to $180 billion and $190 billion.
—Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Betting platforms have to call outcomes accurately or they’ll get dropped from the cable-news scroll, and insiders nudging odds toward correct answers help with that.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nudge
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Kelly Ryan Kegans, Midwest Living, 22 May 2026
The 6-to-1 grocery method — six vegetables, five fruits, four proteins, three starches, two sauces, one fun item — has caught on as a low-effort way to nudge the cart toward what the research keeps recommending.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026
Amazon left its full-year spending outlook at $200 billion and Alphabet nudged up its capex 2026 guidance to $180 billion and $190 billion.
—Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Betting platforms have to call outcomes accurately or they’ll get dropped from the cable-news scroll, and insiders nudging odds toward correct answers help with that.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nudge. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nudge
verb
nudged; nudging
: to touch or push gently
especially
: to attract the attention of by a push of the elbow
nudge
noun
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