as in bowing
bending downward or forward
some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026
And Berryman’s script is chock full of sharp humor and gut-wrenching insights that had many women in the opening-night audience nodding frequently in affirmation.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Columbine's delicate, nodding flowers bloom best in part shade in the South.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026
Jennifer Hudson delivered a Dreamgirls medley during the event, nodding to the 2006 film in which Murphy starred.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
During the defense's bid for more time, Amber Robinson was nodding her head in agreement.
—Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Instead of showing footage, Brooks popped in to reveal the film's official title, nodding to the original film's sequel joke in the process.
—Maddie Garfinkle, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Even the bartender in the cozy corner bar was nodding his head to the music and tapping his hands on the bar counter to the beat.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Moore responded to the judge by nodding, while his wife’s eyes welled with tears in the courtroom’s front row.
—Larry Lage, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
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
For designer Anita Yokota, Benjamin Moore’s Smoky Blue is a standout—a soothing, nature-nodding hue that soothes on sight.
—Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026
And Berryman’s script is chock full of sharp humor and gut-wrenching insights that had many women in the opening-night audience nodding frequently in affirmation.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Columbine's delicate, nodding flowers bloom best in part shade in the South.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026
Jennifer Hudson delivered a Dreamgirls medley during the event, nodding to the 2006 film in which Murphy starred.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
During the defense's bid for more time, Amber Robinson was nodding her head in agreement.
—Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Instead of showing footage, Brooks popped in to reveal the film's official title, nodding to the original film's sequel joke in the process.
—Maddie Garfinkle, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Even the bartender in the cozy corner bar was nodding his head to the music and tapping his hands on the bar counter to the beat.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Moore responded to the judge by nodding, while his wife’s eyes welled with tears in the courtroom’s front row.
—Larry Lage, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodding
Verb
-
Each node resembles a huge steel sphere bobbing on the water with a tube-like structure extending vertically down beneath the surface.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
5 May 2026
-
The host of Watch What Happens Live and executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise, Cohen is bobbing and weaving from one reality universe to the other in many different forms.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
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
-
Structure information summary Most structures in this region are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
10 May 2026
-
About 180,000 people experienced light to strong shaking, according to the USGS.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
With bowed heads, friends and classmates wrapped their arms around each other.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of your standard dress shoes, Styles finished the look with a perfect pair of minty-green ballet flats with bowed laces.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The hearts of these sharks showed severe fibrosis, which happens when scar tissue accumulates and causes stiffness that can impair pumping over time, the researchers wrote.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
4 May 2026
-
The Royals were down to their final two outs in the top of the ninth inning, with tough closer Andres Munoz pumping high-velocity fastballs on the mound.—
Jaylon Thompson
May 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodding. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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