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
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Another accent nodding to the Queen Mother is a sculpture of a royal corgi, in reference to her beloved dogs.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
The narrative stretches across generations, nodding to legacy, land, time and the tension between holding on and letting go.
—Russ Penuell, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
The synth-heavy soundtrack is back, nodding to the greed-is-good eighties while evoking both an ultra-contemporary cool and an inhuman chill.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Somewhere, Belichick is remembering Gronk’s rookie season and nodding his head in agreement.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 Feb. 2026
But recently, Kennedy has seen an uptick in people listing hobbies again, nodding to their vintage Star Wars figurine collection or pickleball fever.
—Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
In the footage shared by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the humanoid is seen smiling, nodding, making eye contact, and walking with a gait that closely resembles human movement.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
Benson says gently, nodding at Riley's visible eye makeup.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 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
Some were nodding, brows furrowed, as if in a foreign-language class; others were trying not to bust up laughing.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Another accent nodding to the Queen Mother is a sculpture of a royal corgi, in reference to her beloved dogs.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
The narrative stretches across generations, nodding to legacy, land, time and the tension between holding on and letting go.
—Russ Penuell, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
The synth-heavy soundtrack is back, nodding to the greed-is-good eighties while evoking both an ultra-contemporary cool and an inhuman chill.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Somewhere, Belichick is remembering Gronk’s rookie season and nodding his head in agreement.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 Feb. 2026
But recently, Kennedy has seen an uptick in people listing hobbies again, nodding to their vintage Star Wars figurine collection or pickleball fever.
—Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
In the footage shared by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the humanoid is seen smiling, nodding, making eye contact, and walking with a gait that closely resembles human movement.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
Benson says gently, nodding at Riley's visible eye makeup.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodding
Verb
-
And many of them were side-stepping and bobbing along to a set by DJ Mace, who was also busting moves nonstop, even when the cameras weren't on him.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Meeks and cinematographer Stefan Weinberger pay special attention to the region’s natural beauty, repeating a single shot of a car bobbing over a two-lane highway amid vibrant green hills.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 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
-
This new #earthquake shaking potential map from the California Geological Survey highlights the distribution of shaking hazard across #California.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Her legs were physically shaking in her beginning pose.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The building with its bowed windows and a Queen Ann tower had already been around for nine years before its owner placed a classified ad in a July 1897 issue of The Kansas City Times.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
19 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
This year’s scene saw Reddick fist-pumping through the delirium of his first Daytona 500 win in front of 150,000 fans on the frontstretch for a while.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Feb. 2026
-
At its best, Tudor’s out-of-possession approach is suffocating, a full-blooded style that excites fans and sets adrenaline pumping through the team.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodding. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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