nudge

verb \ ˈnəj \

Updated on: 9 May 2018

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

Former Bank of America executive Bill Vandiver, a life trustee at Queens who had coached Sherrill on financial matters, nudged him toward taking classes himself.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "He hit bottom on Charlotte's streets. His long rebound is about to come full circle. | Charlotte Observer," 3 May 2018
Return to the oven and bake until the center is set when the pan is gently nudged, about 10 minutes.

— Southern Living, "We're Crazy for the Crust in Joanna Gaines' Lemon Pie Recipe," 27 Apr. 2018
But one chapter appears to bolster past reports that Clinton's former president husband actually nudged Trump toward running in the first place.

— Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: Giuliani sizes up Mueller's 'open mind'; President Trump on 'Fox & Friends' Thursday at 8 a.m. ET," 26 Apr. 2018
Guide them and educate them and gently nudge, not shove, them out of their comfort zone.

— molly kimball, NOLA.com, "Are we too judgey about others' food choices? We may be doing more harm than good," 24 Apr. 2018
Battle has since issued two press releases aimed at nudging Ivey toward the debate stage.

— paul gattis, AL.com, "Gov. Kay Ivey ducks debates, won't face GOP challengers on stage," 4 Apr. 2018
Senior advisers who attempted to nudge him toward more conventional policies—economic adviser Gary Cohn, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, national security adviser H.R. McMaster, White House staff secretary Rob Porter —all are gone.

— gerald f. seib, WSJ, "Trump Plunges Ahead With America-First, Nationalist Approach," 3 Apr. 2018
Gently placing the ball in their court will nudge them toward empowerment and resilience.

— k. lori hanson ph.d., miamiherald, "Intention is what distinguishes a ‘teller’ from a ‘tattler’ | Miami Herald," 8 Mar. 2018
Rotoscoping is a way of nudging animation toward realism without entirely losing its fantastical effect, allowing the filmmaker to slightly blunt the shock of some of the movie’s material.

— walter addiego, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Taboo’ probes Tehran’s libertine underworld," 28 Feb. 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