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 Grant’s restaurant, which opens Friday at 506 W. Grove St. in The Lucy building, will nudge Boise’s culinary ambitions further along — with an easygoing smile. Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024 To reduce obesity, the council is nudging kids away from sugar drinks towards a drink with more calories and fat. Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2024 The broader American pressure campaign may also be nudging China to avoid escalating tensions further. Olivia Wang, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024 Zebras are nudged ahead of wildebeest due to the negative consequences of competition. T. Michael Anderson, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024 Or, the impact of a large-scale global health crisis may have nudged an inward reflection of their own health and well-being. Leah Asmelash, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024 That nudged down the annual increase to 2.8% from 2.9%, still above the Fed’s 2% goal. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024 Even Lux, whose move to second base nudged Betts to shortstop, still can bounce throws from there. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 While others said a cooling-off of wage increases detailed in the report would nudge the Fed toward a rate cut, because the pay slowdown eases the risk of price hikes made in an effort to offset rising labor costs. Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 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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