nudge

verb \ ˈnəj \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: nudge in a Sentence

Definition of nudge

nudged; nudging

transitive verb

1 : to touch or push gently

… nudged the cue ball with the tip of the cue.
—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

2 : to prod lightly : urge into action

… have been nudged into starting their own ventures …
—Janet Bamford

3 : approach

its circulation is nudging the four million mark
—Bennett Cerf

intransitive verb

: to give a nudge

She nudged and jostled through the crowd.

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nudge

noun

—

nudger

noun

See nudge defined for English-language learners

See nudge defined for kids

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 of nudge from the Web

Life would be better in Central Florida if more Bonillas were willing to step forward and if Jacobs nudged her colleagues in the right direction more often.

— lauren ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orange County spares 'very special place' Tangerine from bad growth," 13 July 2018
The basic act of clearing Lumines squares is easy, but that fact nudges players into experimenting and discovering the game's secret sauce.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Lumines Remastered turns the Nintendo Switch into a full-body vibration party," 26 June 2018
As the Honda nears the center guardrail, the officer sees her chance and nudges the car into the guardrail, a maneuver approved by the FHP to stop a dangerous fleeing suspect.

— carli teproff, charles rabin, rebecca ellis and david ovalle, miamiherald, "Video shows wild chase down Florida's Turnpike after trooper's car hit intentionally," 6 June 2018
Forecasters with the National Weather Service say high pressure will begin nudging into the area Monday and create clear skies for the beginning of the week.

— OregonLive.com, "Portland metro Monday weather: Morning clouds will clear for a mostly sunny day; high of 76," 21 May 2018
Many [ways to nudge countries into policy reforms] have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe.

— peter vanham, The New Republic, "Why Do-Gooders Love Development Statistics," 11 May 2018
Illinois is already doing some work to nudge people into the workforce.

— greg trotter, chicagotribune.com, "Split over plan to expand food stamp work requirements: 'A good thing' or 'a recipe for disaster'," 10 May 2018
The Center for American Progress’s recently released Medicare Extra for All plan would nudge people into single-payer more gradually.

— sally c. pipes, Fortune, "Commentary: Canada’s Health Care Is Abysmal. Why Would We Copy It?," 26 Apr. 2018
Once a month, the elders of Salt River gather to nudge their dying language deeper into the modern world.

— azcentral, "AZ Memo: Home prices on rise; Salt River tribe fights to save language; heroic stories from Phoenix synagogue;," 12 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of nudge

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1675

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

nudge Synonyms

Synonyms

brush, graze, kiss, shave, skim;

Near Antonyms

bang, bash, bump, clash, collide, crash, hit, impact, impinge, knock, punch, ram, slam, slap, smack, smash, swipe, thud, thwack, whack;

bounce, carom, glance, rebound, ricochet, skip;

caress, cuddle, fondle, love, pat, pet, stroke;

miss, skirt;

NUDGE Defined for English Language Learners

nudge

verb

Definition of nudge for English Language Learners

: to touch or push (someone or something) gently
: to push (someone) gently with your elbow in order to get that person's attention
: to encourage (someone) to do something