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 spirit is then aged for roughly 18–24 months in American white oak, long enough to nudge it toward extra-Añejo richness while remaining legally Añejo.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Steve Guttenberg To many, Steve Guttenberg will always be known as Police Academy’s Carey Mahoney, a rebellious but likable small-time crook who gets nudged into joining the force.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 May 2026
If the projector's portability, ease of use and streaming chops are as good in practice as the company claims, the D1R air could nudge the portable projector category a little closer to behaving like the TV most people already know how to operate.
—New Atlas, 27 May 2026
Stelo, Lingo and Levels each promise to turn real-time glucose data into something useful — whether that’s tighter diabetes management or a clearer picture of how breakfast, stress or a bad night of sleep nudges your metabolism.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nudge
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Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Steve Guttenberg To many, Steve Guttenberg will always be known as Police Academy’s Carey Mahoney, a rebellious but likable small-time crook who gets nudged into joining the force.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 May 2026
If the projector's portability, ease of use and streaming chops are as good in practice as the company claims, the D1R air could nudge the portable projector category a little closer to behaving like the TV most people already know how to operate.
—New Atlas, 27 May 2026
Stelo, Lingo and Levels each promise to turn real-time glucose data into something useful — whether that’s tighter diabetes management or a clearer picture of how breakfast, stress or a bad night of sleep nudges your metabolism.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nudge. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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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