fudge

verb

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\ ˈfəj

fudged; fudging

Definition of fudge

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

fudge

noun

Definition of fudge (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about fudge

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Examples of fudge in a Sentence

Verb Politicians have been known to fudge the issues. The treasurer fudged the figures. It was later discovered that the researchers had fudged their data. Noun We bought three kinds of fudge. His response to these charges has been a series of denials and fudges.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Sometimes, though, the need to compromise to get a big statute enacted will lead to compromises that fudge on some major issues, and the Court might say that agencies couldn’t deal with those details on their own. — Mark Tushnet, Fortune, "Will a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court roll back regulations on business? Not so fast," 27 Oct. 2020 Biden tries to fudge that point by making grand statements about the need to address planetary warming and running away from the specifics such as transitioning away from fossil fuels when he's pinned down. — Arkansas Online, "OPINION | HENRY OLSEN: Biden meant it about fossil fuels," 24 Oct. 2020 And when nothing else works, says Ms. Jarrosson, teachers are obliged to fudge the rules for a moment. — Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Behind the masks, teachers and students struggle to communicate," 30 Sep. 2020 Nina Mazar, a professor of marketing at Boston University’s school of business, has found in experiments that people are less likely to lie when forced to directly contradict a statement that is true than when allowed to fudge. — Benedict Carey New York Times, Star Tribune, "Lying comes in several flavors, and researchers work on the how and why," 17 Sep. 2020 Don’t try to fudge or change anything; none of the ingredient amounts or processing time should be altered. — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, "Here's everything you need to know about canning and an easy pickle recipe to get started," 15 Sep. 2020 Smith, then a 20-something dishwasher at Jaxson’s, had little experience making a sandwich, let alone fudge ripple, so Udell asked him to shadow Moses, Jaxson’s ice cream maker at the time. — Phillip Valys, sun-sentinel.com, "Cleveland’s Old Fashion Ice Cream, from Jaxson’s longtime ice cream maker, opens in Miramar," 27 Aug. 2020 To try to fudge the broken economics of recycling, the US used to sell oodles of plastic waste to China to process, but China nixed that deal in 2018 to boost its own domestic garbage collection. — Matt Simon, Wired, "You Don't Need Single-Use Plastic Bags. You Need a Mask," 13 July 2020 Buffett was referring to businesses that took on too much debt or that banked on a continuation of boom times to fudge a financial vulnerability, legal or otherwise. — Tom Saler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Tom Saler: COVID-19 recession exposed cracks in the nation’s economic foundation that were long ignored," 20 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Edible goodies include local syrup, honey, kettle corn, fudge sauce, spices and more. — Melanie Savage, courant.com, "Shop local for the holidays at By the Pond," 23 Nov. 2020 Dunkin' has a few new items to go along with the new beverages, the Dunkfetti Donut, a cake ring with confetti sprinkles baked in and topped with a sweet glaze, a gluten-free fudge brownie and Croissant Stuffers. — Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY, "Dunkin' releasing new Extra Charged Coffee with 20% more caffeine, Dunkfetti Donut before 2021," 30 Dec. 2020 Morgan knew that Parmitano enjoyed a special Russian treat called chocolate cheese, which is essentially a heavy chocolate fudge, so Morgan saved some to include with Parmitano's present. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "This is how astronauts celebrate Christmas and other holidays in space," 25 Dec. 2020 Morgan knew that Parmitano enjoyed a special Russian treat called chocolate cheese, which is essentially a heavy chocolate fudge, so Morgan saved some to include with Parmitano's present. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "This is how astronauts celebrate Christmas and other holidays in space," 25 Dec. 2020 Classic fudge brownies coated in white icing and stamped with a variety of snowflake. — Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, "Little Debbie Christmas seasonal snacks ranked," 8 Dec. 2020 Need a walking stick, homemade fudge, or local honey? — Steve Straessle, Arkansas Online, "OPINION | STEVE STRAESSLE: Southern Cross," 12 Dec. 2020 In addition to the ice cream claim-to-fame status, $9 pint jars of Gayety’s signature homemade hot fudge are also popular under Christmas trees and then in kitchen cupboards for the holidays. — Philip Potempa, chicagotribune.com, "Sweet Dreams: Region’s custom candy and confections include visions of sugar plums," 10 Dec. 2020 Caramel, with fudge chips and swirls of graham crackers and chocolate cookies. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Colin Kaepernick's activism moves to freezer section with Ben & Jerry's flavor," 10 Dec. 2020

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.