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
Fortune Editors, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2025
That might mean nudging troubling conversations in a different direction or issuing something akin to a warning label.
—Robert Hart, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
In other economic news, the ISM manufacturing index nudged lower to 48, down 1 point and below the estimate for 49.5.
—Brian Evans,pia Singh, CNBC, 31 July 2025
Taken together across the economy, the smaller pool of job seekers roughly has offset the softer demand, nudging down the unemployment rate from 4.2% to a historically low 4.1% in June.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Noun
And her answer kind of surprised me, and one of the other CEOs sitting next to me nudged me a little bit well.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2025
That might mean nudging troubling conversations in a different direction or issuing something akin to a warning label.
—Robert Hart, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
In other economic news, the ISM manufacturing index nudged lower to 48, down 1 point and below the estimate for 49.5.
—Brian Evans,pia Singh, CNBC, 31 July 2025
Taken together across the economy, the smaller pool of job seekers roughly has offset the softer demand, nudging down the unemployment rate from 4.2% to a historically low 4.1% in June.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudge
Verb
-
This required a 4:30 a.m. wake-up, Hackmann said, to ensure enough time to bathe, dry and brush their cows before the 8 a.m. competition.—
Liliana Fannin,
jsonline.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Paxton’s team has brushed off the personal attacks, insisting voters are focused on his record rather than his private life.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In a virtual summit with President Trump on Wednesday, European leaders urged him not to make a unilateral Ukraine peace deal during his one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Ahead of his meeting with Putin, Trump met on Aug. 13 virtually with Zelenskyy and leaders of European countries who have urged Trump not to capitulate to Putin's demands during his solo meeting.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The push to reshore manufacturing is gaining momentum but faces a fundamental obstacle: power itself.—
Shaun Walsh,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The Middle East push follows HollyShorts’ successful London debut last year.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
After the buzzer sounded, Pope ran over to hug his wife, Lee Anne, and kissed his daughters near the bench before running off to a TV interview.—
Jesse Temple,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
-
In the video, baby Sofia can be seen giggling in her bouncer as Ree sings, plays and tickles her, as well as kissing the happy infant, who looks cute in a floral sleeper.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Terminator 2: Judgement Day star also shared encouraging words for others who might be struggling with their own mental health.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Are there opportunities for workshops for parents? Innovation Balance: Do policies encourage responsible experimentation or only focus on restrictions?—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Kaitlyn Santa Juana plays a college student who learns that her grandmother cheated Death decades ago, and now that jerk is coming to take out her whole family via various creatively gnarly, Rube Goldberg-esque kills.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Mid-performance, the prop jerks downward after slipping from its wire, causing a drop that nearly unseats her.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
19 July 2025
Verb
-
In photos from the vacation, Aniston and Curtis were seen touching hands and Curtis appeared to be rubbing Aniston's shoulders at one point.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
-
These systems often touch sensitive data—personal, regulated or proprietary—but aren’t consistently tracked, monitored or risk-assessed.—
Abhi Sharma,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudge. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share