as in bowing
bending downward or forward
some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bobbing
to make short up-and-down movements
though she couldn't see the rain, she knew it had started because she could see the flowers nod as raindrops hit them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nodding
Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
As Bieber bounced back to Toronto’s dugout, nodding his head, a small patch of traveling Blue Jays fans chanted his name.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Following the debut of the new Skims Faux Hair Micro String Thong on Tuesday, which sent the internet into a 24-hour spending frenzy, European Wax Center has rolled out a new campaign nodding to the viral G-string merkin and the brand’s founder, Kim Kardashian.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
He could also be seen nodding his approval after the dance — and earning a thunderous round of excited shouts from the audience.
—Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
In other posts, Minaj criticized Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, nodding to discontent between her and the label.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
These sequences include footage of the survivors on set watching the proceedings, adjusting costumes or nodding in recognition of sets.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
Appearing on Tuesday’s broadcast – Meyers’ 1,713th episode, a number that fittingly adds up to 12, matching Swift’s 12th studio album (and nodding to her lucky 13) – was appropriate to the numerology that’s followed her entire career.
—Haley Kluge, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
The 1927 English Tudor’s original architecture was a big inspiration for Saban and Klimes, with details throughout nodding to that touchpoint—arches, textured stucco, and cobblestone pavers, among others.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.
—Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Verb
Tight end Evan Engram, in the slot, pointed around in confusion before nodding at Marvin Mims Jr.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
As Bieber bounced back to Toronto’s dugout, nodding his head, a small patch of traveling Blue Jays fans chanted his name.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Following the debut of the new Skims Faux Hair Micro String Thong on Tuesday, which sent the internet into a 24-hour spending frenzy, European Wax Center has rolled out a new campaign nodding to the viral G-string merkin and the brand’s founder, Kim Kardashian.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
He could also be seen nodding his approval after the dance — and earning a thunderous round of excited shouts from the audience.
—Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
In other posts, Minaj criticized Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, nodding to discontent between her and the label.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
These sequences include footage of the survivors on set watching the proceedings, adjusting costumes or nodding in recognition of sets.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
Appearing on Tuesday’s broadcast – Meyers’ 1,713th episode, a number that fittingly adds up to 12, matching Swift’s 12th studio album (and nodding to her lucky 13) – was appropriate to the numerology that’s followed her entire career.
—Haley Kluge, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
The 1927 English Tudor’s original architecture was a big inspiration for Saban and Klimes, with details throughout nodding to that touchpoint—arches, textured stucco, and cobblestone pavers, among others.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodding
Verb
-
The Sea of Excrement, with its bobbing malefactors, is especially memorable.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Head bobbing and rolling is what causes neck soreness.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
No racist stereotypes, no demeaning facial expressions, no bowed heads, and no broken bodies from the old Hollywood.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
-
The composer also added synths to his orchestral score, as well as bowed metal, where a violin bow is rubbed against metal instruments like a cowbell or a Vibraphone, for when Roz has a particularly intense feeling.—
Mia Galuppo,
The Hollywood Reporter,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
In doing movements that don’t feel like a workout in the traditional sense but still leave you shaking and sore the next day.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The child who was allegedly attacked on the bus could then be seen in the footage shaking her head multiple times before the video ended.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
Overnight on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian military, a gas processing facility and pumping station in the Volgograd region of southern Russia were also hit.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Kirby was rolling through five shutout innings, pumping strike after strike past the Tigers.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodding. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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