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
Relevance
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
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 nudge
Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
Las Vegas finished 28th in yards allowed during his first season in 2022 but finished 15th in 2023 and 2024 and nudged up to 14th in 2025.
—CBS News, 31 Jan. 2026
Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025
In the aftermath of the Fed’s rate cut on Wednesday, the yield on a 10-year Treasury bond ticked slightly upward, defying the nudge downward by the central bank.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Verb
Everything is intended to nudge viewers to their televisions on Tuesday evening.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
Las Vegas finished 28th in yards allowed during his first season in 2022 but finished 15th in 2023 and 2024 and nudged up to 14th in 2025.
—CBS News, 31 Jan. 2026
Noun
Consider this a little nudge to get you out the door.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025
In the aftermath of the Fed’s rate cut on Wednesday, the yield on a 10-year Treasury bond ticked slightly upward, defying the nudge downward by the central bank.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudge
Verb
-
From brushing ice in curling to flying down an ice track headfirst in skeleton, the Winter Olympics are home to some unique and exciting sports that feature uncommon vernacular.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
After the wings have cooked for 30 minutes, brush them with the honey garlic sauce and return to oven.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Havana urged American citizens in Cuba to take precautions amid the energy crisis by conserving fuel, water, food and charging their phones.—
Bianna Golodryga,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Anyone with information is urged to contact 911.—
Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The rebuttal, published Tuesday, is a clear sign of how intently China is focusing on the case – and the White House’s broader push to root out its influence in the region.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Singapore’s first eVTOL Led by James Wang, PhD, professor at NTU’s School of mechanical and aerospace engineering, the research project represent an important step in the nation’s push into advanced air mobility and next-generation aviation technologies.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The clip captured Bugay kissing Martinez and accepting the proposal while standing on the bridge.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Stunned, Naim pulls away before grabbing Ryan’s head to kiss him back.—
Natalia Winkelman,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The numbers have been slowly ticking up for over a year – a rare bit of good news for a government that has spent billions of dollars for more than a decade encouraging people to do just that.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Guests are encouraged to bring camp chairs or blankets.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Drift through the crowd as the smell of smoky jerk chicken and grilled cheese mingles with fresh lumpia, vegan soul bowls, and small-batch kombucha.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The Store offers flavors such as buffalo, garlic parmesan, barbecue, sweet chili, Torrington Hot, mango habanero, Jamaican jerk, spicy harissa, lemon pepper, Marsala, spicy Mediterranean, Tunisian buffalo and garlic hot.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The results revealed lower leaf damage and lower anthocyanin accumulation when plants were physically touching each other.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
-
One twin claimed an incident had occurred while alone with Busfield in a bedroom on set, alleging he had been touched over his clothes on his genitals and bottom.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudge. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
