1
as in succumbing
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
despite hours of intense pressure, she refused to budge from her position
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shifting
to change one's position
he finally budged from his beach blanket when the tide started swirling up around him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in removing
to change the place or position of
the bureau was so heavy that two people couldn't budge it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of budging
An underlying stalemate in Washington isn't budging, leaving TSA and the Department of Homeland Security without funding.
—
Skyler Henry, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
Contract talks between Aubrey and the franchise are deemed positive but neither side is budging.
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin isn’t budging on his decision to keep the party’s internal report dissecting 2024 election losses under wraps — despite previously committing to releasing it.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Layoffs hit the highest level in 14 years; job openings are barely budging; and quits figures are plummeting.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025
One such coach isn't budging, though.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
In the current environment – with diplomacy stuck between the first and second phases of the ceasefire – neither Israel nor Hamas is budging.
—Eugenia Yosef, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
The eight Senate Democrats who voted with Republicans to advance the funding bill indicated the GOP was not budging on its position, and lawmakers have increasingly worried about the impact of flight delays due to the shutdown.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 12 Nov. 2025
Senate Democrats are expected to keep blocking that bill, not budging on their position that health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year need to be extended.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Skyler Henry, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
Contract talks between Aubrey and the franchise are deemed positive but neither side is budging.
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin isn’t budging on his decision to keep the party’s internal report dissecting 2024 election losses under wraps — despite previously committing to releasing it.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Layoffs hit the highest level in 14 years; job openings are barely budging; and quits figures are plummeting.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025
One such coach isn't budging, though.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
In the current environment – with diplomacy stuck between the first and second phases of the ceasefire – neither Israel nor Hamas is budging.
—Eugenia Yosef, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
The eight Senate Democrats who voted with Republicans to advance the funding bill indicated the GOP was not budging on its position, and lawmakers have increasingly worried about the impact of flight delays due to the shutdown.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 12 Nov. 2025
Senate Democrats are expected to keep blocking that bill, not budging on their position that health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year need to be extended.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for budging
Verb
-
Shepard uses her last ounce of strength to kill the final hitman before succumbing to her injuries.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
And the bumbling nature of Lesgate, with Jones playing the internal conflicts sharply, comes with succumbing to the horrid nature of what money can bring.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has said that FEMA should be eliminated or significantly scaled down, shifting more disaster response to states.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
-
This traces the origins of her house, from its first, paradigm-shifting garments to its present-day incarnation under current creative director, Daniel Roseberry.—
Jane Levere,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He is then seen slowly approaching the victim, checking his surroundings, and removing his shoes before grabbing her from behind.—
Ana Maria Soler,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The surgery involved removing 40 percent of Erbert's skull and required a follow-up skull implant surgery, per the Los Angeles Times.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceding the election to opposition leader Péter Magyar’s Tisza party, the focus of Hungarian news media is trying to gauge the size of the party’s future majority.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Teammate Taylor O’Leary took over and finished the game, conceding two hits and zero runs.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The trend of schools moving away from technology comes as evidence emerges that access to screens does not improve student outcomes and could instead be holding them back.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
LoRe, a Sicilian immigrant, had spent most of his life working as a butcher in New York City and running a shop there before relocating to the Charlotte area.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Fathoms is the latest in a string of synth albums the composer has made under his own name since 2022, and his first since relocating from Portland to the storied town of Salzburg, Austria.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Pitchfork,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Given this narrowing, many of us refrained from submitting our books for consideration to your awards or declined to engage with your programs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
-
One key role for physicians in submitting billing requests to Medicare is to provide certification that the patient is indeed suffering from a terminal illness.—
Grace Manthey,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This week, on the mayor’s 97th day in office, a crowd gathered in the lobby of the busy Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan to watch as Mamdani announced the city would start transferring Rikers Island jail detainees with serious medical illnesses to a specialized unit at the hospital.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Also on the way out is Justin Pippen, who spent one year at Cal after transferring in from Michigan.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Budging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/budging. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
