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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of nudge
Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
The collision nudged the asteroid and modified its trajectory.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 June 2025
And in an era with pesky inflation headaches, California’s varied wage gains – especially, the bigger raises for the bigger paychecks – are one of the forces nudging up economic anxieties statewide.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 11 June 2025
River have a tradition of playing slick football going back to La Maquina, the legendary side of the late ’30s and early ’40s, which nudged South American football forward.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Noun
Split view of Ducky the English cocker spaniel nudging owner and sitting at the top of the stairs.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
The collision nudged the asteroid and modified its trajectory.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 June 2025
And in an era with pesky inflation headaches, California’s varied wage gains – especially, the bigger raises for the bigger paychecks – are one of the forces nudging up economic anxieties statewide.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 11 June 2025
River have a tradition of playing slick football going back to La Maquina, the legendary side of the late ’30s and early ’40s, which nudged South American football forward.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudge
Verb
-
But keeping your mouth pristine requires more than just brushing your teeth twice a day.—
Alexis Berger,
SELF,
23 June 2025
-
Use it to gently brush the microphone ports on each hearing aid, usually located on the backside of the device.—
Christopher Null,
Wired News,
22 June 2025
Verb
-
In December, the libertarian Cato Institute published an article urging Trump to privatize the system.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
27 June 2025
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Heavy rain prompts traffic advisory on North 94th Street in Kansas City Drivers urged to exercise caution as heavy rain prompts traffic warning between I-70 West and State Avenue on North 94th Street.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 June 2025
Noun
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For months, Trump said he was dedicated to a diplomatic push to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions.—
Aamer Madhani,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
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Advertisement The spending push is not just about addressing Trump’s complaints that the allies aren’t paying their fair share for defense.—
Adam Rasmi,
Time,
20 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Popular online influencers with millions of followers have encouraged Holocaust denial.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
30 June 2025
-
The return of blue-book exams might disadvantage students who were encouraged to master typing at a young age.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
Noun
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But in politics — as in life —there’s a fine line between being genuine and being a jerk.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Smoky, spicy jerk is also on the menu in the Pulled Jerk Pork & Coconut Shrimp appetizer at Eleanor’s at Sandals Grande Antigua.—
Sandals Resorts,
AFAR Media,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Only the Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas — who could be among the 12 All-Star Game reserves, which will be selected by the league’s head coaches and announced this Sunday — has more assists per game (9.3), and she’s touched the hardwood in 12 contests this season.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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Scott and Jacob also touch on MLS teams’ $41 million Club World Cup haul, with a portion of that money headed to players, pending negotiation between the league and union.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudge. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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