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
Fortunately, the Fed just nudged us closer to the right side of the bed—its recent rate cut will improve clean energy economics.
—Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
Mercury will eventually slip into enigmatic Scorpio, and your ninth house of expansion and self-discovery, nudging you toward exciting opportunities that evoke your passions.
—Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024
As the planet heats, geoengineering is poised to manipulate it in unprecedented ways, whether researchers invent machines to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or nudge microorganisms to do it for them.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2024
Dogs try other ways to enlist human assistance, too—mostly barking or nudging—but eye contact is the go-to device.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nudge 
Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
Mercury will eventually slip into enigmatic Scorpio, and your ninth house of expansion and self-discovery, nudging you toward exciting opportunities that evoke your passions.
—Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024
As the planet heats, geoengineering is poised to manipulate it in unprecedented ways, whether researchers invent machines to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or nudge microorganisms to do it for them.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2024
Dogs try other ways to enlist human assistance, too—mostly barking or nudging—but eye contact is the go-to device.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nudge
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nudge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nudge
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nudge. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
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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