nudge

verb

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 markBennett Cerf

intransitive verb

: 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 In time though, social media nudged him toward more nefarious forums; soon, the teenager started retweeting videos produced by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 This results in high river plume pushing into the Gulf and nudging the tuna farther offshore, where salinity levels remain favorable for predators and forage. David A. Brown, Field & Stream, 7 Mar. 2024 China’s only notable diplomatic achievement in the region was to nudge last year’s Iranian-Saudi rapprochement across the finish line, but most of the hard work was done elsewhere. Gregg Carlstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024 French media-to-retail giant Lagardère Group’s share price has seen a revival in the past few days and nudged close to €21 on Wednesday after the company revealed strong revenue for 2023, driven by its travel retail business, Lagardère Travel Retail (LTR). Kevin Rozario, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 These diaries prove there is an army at our backs, reassuring us, nudging us, urging us on every inch of the way. Sarah Gristwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024 Grocery stores like Kroger are eager to raise product costs not only to maintain margins, but also grow them by nudging customers towards their own cheaper, private-brand products. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 The progression gently nudged users from onboarding to feature exploration to product stickiness. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Their impromptu reactions — yawning, stretching, making faces — nudge scenes toward greater realism. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024

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.

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nudge was in 1675

Dictionary Entries Near nudge

Cite this Entry

“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nudge. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nudge

verb
nudged; nudging
: to touch or push gently
especially : to attract the attention of by a push of the elbow
nudge noun

More from Merriam-Webster on nudge

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