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
The new research also nudges forward the ongoing debate on how weather fluctuations might have influenced the start of the Black Death, according to Mark Bailey, a professor of late medieval history at the University of East Anglia in England.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Accomplish these steps, Walker Monfort and Paul DePodesta, then anger and suspicion will nudge toward appreciation.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2025
Newcastle have still not won a league match that Guimaraes has not started, but the Brazilian did his bit to change that quirk, scoring with a beautiful curling shot after Gordon had torn down the left and found Nick Woltemade, who nudged the ball on.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2025
Despite this, Plasencia subsequently nudged Perry’s personal assistant, who was also charged, to order more.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
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Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Accomplish these steps, Walker Monfort and Paul DePodesta, then anger and suspicion will nudge toward appreciation.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2025
Newcastle have still not won a league match that Guimaraes has not started, but the Brazilian did his bit to change that quirk, scoring with a beautiful curling shot after Gordon had torn down the left and found Nick Woltemade, who nudged the ball on.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2025
Despite this, Plasencia subsequently nudged Perry’s personal assistant, who was also charged, to order more.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Dec. 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 6 Dec. 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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