budge

1 of 3

noun

ˈbəj 

: a fur formerly prepared from lambskin dressed with the wool outward

budge

2 of 3

verb

budged; budging

intransitive verb

1

: move, shift

the mule wouldn't budge

2

: to give way : yield

wouldn't budge on the issue

transitive verb

: to cause to move or change

budge

3 of 3

adjective

archaic

: pompous, solemn

Synonyms of budge

Verb

• succumb
• concede
• submit
• surrender
• relent
• capitulate

Examples of budge in a Sentence

Verb

Their horses refused to budge.

The door was stuck, and we couldn't even get it to budge.

Could you try opening this jar for me? I can't budge the lid.

We tried to change her mind, but we couldn't budge her.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And the real estate firm predicts that number won’t budge by 2030. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026

When Beijing didn't budge during the 2014 movement, some young activists began advocating for Hong Kong’s independence. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Neither side has budged following Tusk’s surprise raid on the Constitutional Tribunal, through which his government ushered out the court’s president and vice president before installing ideologically sympathetic replacements. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026

Despite having lost just once, putting together a 44-point win, and possessing an offense that has outscored opponents 187-31 over the last four weeks, Wake Forest did not budge in this week's poll. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bugee, from Anglo-French buge

Verb

Anglo-French bouger, from Vulgar Latin *bullicare, from Latin bullire to boil — more at boil

Adjective

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1578, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing budge

• give/budge an inch

Rhymes for budge

• drudge
• frage
• fudge
• grudge
• judge
• mudge
• nudge
• rudge
• sludge
• smudge
• trudge
• adjudge

Kids Definition

budge

verb

ˈbəj

budged; budging

1

: move entry 1 sense 1

2

: give in, yield

wouldn't budge on their opinion