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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Its success nudged competitors to make their own EVs more enticing, and Tesla capitalized on its head start, continuing to develop its tech and create new cars, including 2017’s Model 3, which also made TIME’s list. Merrill Fabry, Time, 9 Oct. 2025 One solution is to nudge companies back into the public markets by reducing the burden. Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025 The scores reflected the judges' differing opinions, with Hough downgrading from his eight of last week to a score of seven and Inaba nudging up to an eight. Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025 Larsson has been busy reorienting PVH so that it is focused on taking full advantage of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein’s potential and recently nudged up the company’s revenue forecast. Evan Clark, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nudge

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

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Cite this Entry

“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nudge. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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