1
as in to brush
to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing
accidentally nudged me as they squeezed past
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to urge
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action
the car salesman nudged me into taking a test-drive, even though I had said that I was just looking
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of nudge
Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Ganni has historically occupied a clearly accessible contemporary positioning, but its elevation strategy has nudged it upward without fully redefining what the brand stands for.
—Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026
This wasn’t a gentle nudge into the next phase of life.
—Mark Glende, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Verb
The hormone, in turn, nudges the brain back toward waking once the night’s repair work is done.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Ganni has historically occupied a clearly accessible contemporary positioning, but its elevation strategy has nudged it upward without fully redefining what the brand stands for.
—Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
Some hatchlings bolted straight for the surf, while a few needed a gentle nudge from the marine team.
—Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026
This wasn’t a gentle nudge into the next phase of life.
—Mark Glende, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudge
Verb
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Served with Catalan flatbread chips ($12), redfish Galicia, a fish brushed with extra-virgin olive oil, cooked in a sauce pan with garlic butter, baked with lemon zest.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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Wipe the sink after brushing teeth or washing your face.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Shortly after the ruling, Republicans were urging a review of their congressional maps in Louisiana, Tennessee and elsewhere.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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With the new dietary guidelines urging a boost in daily protein, especially red meat, high-fiber foods might get left behind.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His step-back jumper with 32 seconds left was the exclamation point, a shot that ended Orlando’s final push and extended Detroit’s season.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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The push is part of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement and retooled dietary guidelines released at the beginning of the year.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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People should avoid kissing or snuggling with backyard birds, the CDC says.—
Jonel Aleccia,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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His son Bret recalled his father’s postgame smiles, hugs and kisses with his wife of 58 years Debbie.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Officials also encourage businesses to give customers a glimpse of how dim sum is made through live-streaming.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
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Becerra proposes to require cities and counties to approve or deny building permits within 90 days, loosening certain regulations for infill projects and reforming construction defect laws to encourage more construction of entry-level condos.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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There’s an almost-friendship-ending rift over husbands (Brent Thiessen is Cee Cee’s, a cool-guy theater director; Ben Jacoby is Bertie’s, a rich jerk) that feels deeply dated and, in the context of the women’s tell-each-other-everything friendship, just plain weird.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The jerk chicken is rubbed in a sweet honey glaze.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The demonstration also touched on various issues that Americans have been facing including the rising cost of food and gas due in part to tariffs, the war in Iran and immigration sweeps that experts have said contributed to a shortage of agricultural workers.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
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One with Ayo Edebiri, which touched on topics like the Chinatown bus and Ocean’s Eleven.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudge. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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