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
Later, when the oldest hit her mid-teens and eventually went off to college, the two boys were nudged into leadership roles of their own and nominally put in charge of the youngest kid, a sister.
—Andre Mouchard, Daily News, 9 May 2026
Breaking a barrier Engineers at JPL and a private company named AeroVironment, the same partners that developed Ingenuity, recently made a breakthrough in the lab to nudge the SkyFall mission closer to reality.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Webster should have freedom to navigate what seems to be another attempt to nudge the Raptors from respectable to excellent.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Hawkers hitched boxes higher and nudged each other to behold the spirited pregnant woman.
—‘pemi Aguda, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nudge
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Andre Mouchard, Daily News, 9 May 2026
Breaking a barrier Engineers at JPL and a private company named AeroVironment, the same partners that developed Ingenuity, recently made a breakthrough in the lab to nudge the SkyFall mission closer to reality.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Webster should have freedom to navigate what seems to be another attempt to nudge the Raptors from respectable to excellent.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Hawkers hitched boxes higher and nudged each other to behold the spirited pregnant woman.
—‘pemi Aguda, Literary Hub, 6 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 12 May. 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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