fudge

verb \ ˈfəj \

Definition of fudge

fudged; fudging

transitive verb

1 a :to devise as a substitute :fake

b :falsify

fudged the figures

2 :to fail to come to grips with :dodge

fudged the issue

intransitive verb

1 :to exceed the proper bounds or limits of something

feel that the author has fudged a little on the … rules for crime fiction
—Newsweek

; also :cheat

fudging on an exam

2 :to fail to perform as expected

3 :to avoid commitment :hedge

the government's tendency to fudge on delicate matters of policy
—Claire Sterling

See fudge defined for English-language learners

See fudge defined for kids

Examples of fudge in a Sentence

Politicians have been known to fudge the issues.
The treasurer fudged the figures.
It was later discovered that the researchers had fudged their data.

Recent Examples of fudge from the Web

General latency has improved across the board (at least in pre-release play), though Splatoon 2 still fudges a noticeable amount of its paint-bullet impact.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Splatoon 2 redeems the most clever online shooter series in years," 18 July 2017
What’s missing from the arguments is any serious analysis of why Republican rhetoric fudged the universal coverage question.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Why Didn’t Republicans Promise a Conservative Health-Care Plan? Because They’re Not Idiots.," 7 July 2017
Should Liza be forgiven for fudging her birthdate to compete in a market dominated by millennials?

— julie hinds, Detroit Free Press, "'Younger' plays truth and daring as new season launches Wednesday on TV Land," 25 June 2017
Renewable energy is widely seen as a major driver of future global growth and Trump was accused of fudging the figures on the agreement's economic impact and on its projected effects on reining in rising global temperatures.

— matthew brown, chicagotribune.com, "U.S. bucks trend amid increases for clean energy research," 9 June 2017
Earlier this month, the group’s finance ministers had to fudge language opposing protectionism in trade, again due to U.S. objections.

— marc champion, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Saves Worst for Last in First Foreign Trip," 25 May 2017
Unknown California Department of Water Resources Brown wasn’t above fudging the numbers.

— ryan sabalow, dale kasler and christopher cadelago, sacbee, "‘Lethal arrogance’? Oroville Dam crisis sprang from Pat Brown’s towering ambition," 14 May 2017
True or not—and curator Diane Waggoner fudges the claim by wanting to omit numberless shows of Civil War...

— richard b. woodward, WSJ, "‘East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography’ Review: Photographing the Wild, Wild East," 8 Mar. 2017
And Mr. Trump has often fudged small, easily checked details with no clear reason for doing so.

— maggie haberman, New York Times, "The Numbers Game of Donald Trump," 22 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fudge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fudge

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1674

See Words from the same year

fudge Synonyms

Synonyms

equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, tergiversate, waffle, weasel

Related Words

flip-flop, yo-yo; dodge, duck, elude, eschew, evade, shake, shirk, shun, sidestep, skirt; bypass, circumvent; cavil, quibble; straddle

Near Antonyms

clarify, clear (up), explain, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, spell out; decipher

fudge

noun

Definition of fudge

1 :foolish nonsense —often used interjectionally to express annoyance, disappointment, or disbelief

2 :a soft creamy candy made typically of sugar, milk, butter, and flavoring

3 :something that is fudged; especially :a bending of rules or a compromise

See fudge defined for English-language learners

Examples of fudge in a Sentence

We bought three kinds of fudge.
His response to these charges has been a series of denials and fudges.

Recent Examples of fudge from the Web

The portion will be served with chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge, caramel, cinnamon, sugar and whipped cream.

— leeanne griffin, courant.com, "Holy Fried Cannoli! What's New To Eat At The Big E For 2017?," 25 Aug. 2017
Food is another perennial fair favorite, with Native American tacos and salmon, barbecue, Thai food, corn on the cob, waffle cones, pizza, funnel cakes, pie, gyros, burgers, pizza, fudge, kettle corn and more for every taste.

— madeline mckenzie, The Seattle Times, "From belching contest to concerts, Evergreen State Fair has it all," 23 Aug. 2017
There are also 12 stages for live music, shops that sell handmade items and food stands that serve kettle corn, succotash, funnel cakes, fudge, Icees and deep-fried Oreos.

— sarah gish, kansascity, "Hold tight: Silver Dollar City unveils record-breaking spinning roller coaster," 16 Aug. 2017
What to order: The Chocolate Thunder, a mix of chocolate fudge, chocolate shaving, chocolate chips powder, brownie and chocolate chips.

— lauren harbury, charlotteobserver, "7 Charlotte ice cream shops you need to try," 12 Aug. 2017
For those not in the know, Polar Pizza involves a double fudge brownie crust and mint chocolate chip ice cream topped with Oreo cookie pieces.

— cole kazdin, Los Angeles Magazine, "5 Places to Celebrate National Ice Cream Day, Which is a Very Important Day," 14 July 2017
Shops along the main avenue Wall Street (no, that’s not a typo) include the Country Store where their buttercreme fudge is made the old-fashioned way and Grandma’s Toy Box for classic toys like pick-up sticks, bug-catching essentials and binoculars.

— travel wisconsin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Two Days to Explore: Eagle River," 6 July 2017
Some teachers brought Zingermann's coffee cake from Ann Arbor, Mich., and fudge from Mackinac Island.

— emma kate fittes, Indianapolis Star, "Audrey Lupton dies as friends rallied to help complete bucket list," 5 July 2017
The decadent hot fudge sundae is topped with seasonal berries and a Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Blueberry Square.

— carolina gusman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "National Ice Cream Month: Every day's a sundae in July," 5 July 2017

First Known Use of fudge

1766

fudge Synonyms

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

FUDGE Defined for English Language Learners

fudge

verb

Definition of fudge for English Language Learners

: to fail to deal with (something) in an open and direct way
: to speak or act in a way that is meant to avoid dealing with a problem directly
: to change (something) in order to trick people