1
as in kisses
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 urges
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
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Recent Examples of nudges
Kari Sonde, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
Pisces February 19 – March 20 This morning nudges you into gentle motion.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
February 19 – March 20 This morning nudges you into gentle motion.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
After weeks of mental focus, the universe nudges you inward.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 18 Jan. 2026
On top of that, perhaps the AI nudges the person further down the rabbit hole.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
The Murder of Laci Peterson nudges viewers to reevaluate the veracity of media narratives and draw their own conclusions.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
All of this nudges scientists into a defensive posture.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
Something about late November into December nudges us toward reflection.
—Joe Palaggi, Twin Cities, 25 Dec. 2025
Verb
Queen Charlotte spends Season 3 sparring with and hunting down Lady Whistledown, while Lady Danbury nudges her to pay attention to the peerage, and in particular, Francesca.
—Kari Sonde, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
Pisces February 19 – March 20 This morning nudges you into gentle motion.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
February 19 – March 20 This morning nudges you into gentle motion.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
After weeks of mental focus, the universe nudges you inward.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 18 Jan. 2026
On top of that, perhaps the AI nudges the person further down the rabbit hole.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
The Murder of Laci Peterson nudges viewers to reevaluate the veracity of media narratives and draw their own conclusions.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
All of this nudges scientists into a defensive posture.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
Something about late November into December nudges us toward reflection.
—Joe Palaggi, Twin Cities, 25 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudges
Verb
-
Assertively claim your space while Mars kisses Pluto in the skies.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
-
But then, blonde-haired Ryan (Stacy Clausen) kisses Naim (Joe Bird) while pinning him down on the ground.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
TxDOT is warning that conditions are still dangerous and urges people to stay home on Tuesday if possible.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
All TEXpress lanes have been closed due to the inclement weather and the Texas Department of Transportation urges residents to stay off the roads as much as possible over the weekend.—
Star-Telegram staff,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Unlike earlier hardware pushes that focused on training, the new chip targets inference, the continuous process of serving AI responses to users.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
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Long Beach made a couple of pushes to get the deficit back to single digits, but every time Fullerton had an answer.—
Dan Arritt,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Elizabeth Scott brushes off the comparison.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
23 Dec. 2025
-
If someone does bring up his teary picture, Wallake brushes it off.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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And, adds Scott, with a smile, Billy (their French poodle who has appeared in this column before) encourages donations to animal protection organizations.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Jan. 2026
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Days ahead of the 2026 Grammys, Elton John encourages young artists to follow their dreams while introducing the Best New Artist nominees in a short film from Spotify.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Instead, the Engel-Jackson family is more run-of-the-mill awful — a recognizable pack of self-serving jerks more focused on the appearance of cheer than any real kindness.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
12 Dec. 2025
-
That rich people sure can be easily manipulable jerks?—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The accord, which touches 2 billion people, came after nearly two decades of negotiations.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The accord, which touches 2 billion people, followed nearly two decades of negotiations.—
Stan Choe,
Fortune,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Eating well is a huge feature—from the perfect crepes, homemade jams and market fruit of breakfast to Dyades locavore menu, noted in the Michelin guide, which makes the herbs, flowers, fruit and vegetables from the kitchen garden shine.—
Lydia Bell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
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The initial drop of shelf-stable food products — including jams, teas, crêpe mix and flower sprinkles — has since expanded to include wines, candles and a limited edition leather bookmark.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudges. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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