nudged; nudging
1
: to touch or push gently
… nudged the cue ball with the tip of the cue.—
Paul Theroux
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
J. K. Rowling 2
: to prod lightly : urge into action
… have been nudged into starting their own ventures …—Janet Bamford
Janet Bamford3
: approach
its circulation is nudging the four million mark—Bennett Cerf
Bennett Cerf
: to give a nudge
She nudged and jostled through the crowd.
nudge
noun
nudger
noun
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 on the Web
High financing costs, a wobbly economy, flat rents and overbuilding in certain markets nudged many other developers to cancel or delay rental projects.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Jeanroy squats down, nudges Taïga aside, and starts digging with a cavadou—a sort of pick that resembles a very scary dental tool.
—Aislyn Greene, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
Julian and Penelope nudged me for a response in unison.
—Sofía Pereda, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
The optimal strike zones, marked as bright crosshairs in the model, show where a spacecraft could nudge an asteroid's orbit away from Earth without triggering a dangerous return later on.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
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Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Jeanroy squats down, nudges Taïga aside, and starts digging with a cavadou—a sort of pick that resembles a very scary dental tool.
—Aislyn Greene, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
Julian and Penelope nudged me for a response in unison.
—Sofía Pereda, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
The optimal strike zones, marked as bright crosshairs in the model, show where a spacecraft could nudge an asteroid's orbit away from Earth without triggering a dangerous return later on.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nudge. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nudge
verb
nudged; nudging
: to touch or push gently
especially
: to attract the attention of by a push of the elbow
nudge
noun
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