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
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026
Syntiant’s tech nudges the new takes back toward the tone and feeling of the 1983 master while keeping every note authentically Boy George.
—Jeff Benjamin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Upcoming inflation and jobs reports carry outsized weight, too, since each release nudges investor expectations about where the Fed heads next.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 June 2026
The app reads flights and stays, checks ahead, then nudges travelers toward choices that may save them from last‑minute airport purchases or an overstuffed suitcase filled with the wrong gear.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
The scene also nudges toward Madonna's own influence across mediums, in a short shot that features her lifting her arm over a dryer to recall a similar image from her 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026
Even her mother, touchingly, nudges Suzanna from the nest, refusing for her daughter’s sake to cling to their weekly routine.
—Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
Stelo, Lingo and Levels each promise to turn real-time glucose data into something useful — whether that’s tighter diabetes management or a clearer picture of how breakfast, stress or a bad night of sleep nudges your metabolism.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
The hormone, in turn, nudges the brain back toward waking once the night’s repair work is done.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
Verb
An intuitive Moon crosses your 10th House of Career while Saturn, planet of lessons, rests in your 5th House of Creativity, and their quincunx nudges you to refine spotlight plans with care.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026
Syntiant’s tech nudges the new takes back toward the tone and feeling of the 1983 master while keeping every note authentically Boy George.
—Jeff Benjamin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Upcoming inflation and jobs reports carry outsized weight, too, since each release nudges investor expectations about where the Fed heads next.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 June 2026
The app reads flights and stays, checks ahead, then nudges travelers toward choices that may save them from last‑minute airport purchases or an overstuffed suitcase filled with the wrong gear.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
The scene also nudges toward Madonna's own influence across mediums, in a short shot that features her lifting her arm over a dryer to recall a similar image from her 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026
Even her mother, touchingly, nudges Suzanna from the nest, refusing for her daughter’s sake to cling to their weekly routine.
—Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
Stelo, Lingo and Levels each promise to turn real-time glucose data into something useful — whether that’s tighter diabetes management or a clearer picture of how breakfast, stress or a bad night of sleep nudges your metabolism.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
The hormone, in turn, nudges the brain back toward waking once the night’s repair work is done.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudges
Verb
-
Everyone offers their name and kisses everyone else, and women scrape their lipstick off other people’s cheeks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
Sofia Carson blows kisses to the camera during the amfAR Gala Cannes 2026 at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 21.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
The plan also urges African countries to preserve former slave forts and castles as memorial sites.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2026
-
If someone urges you to splurge, smile, breathe, and pause.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
One of the Sentinel’s big pushes to relocated the capital here came in 1933, with editorials and news stories explaining the virtues of making the City Beautiful the Capital City.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 June 2026
-
If a pal pushes, smile and hold the line.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
Bryce Harper, star slugger, the Phillie Phanatic's best friend, and baseball hero to children of all ages, brushes his teeth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
-
These stocks have climbed for weeks as the market brushes off the narrative that AI is a threat to the cybersecurity industry.—
Morgan Chittum,Matthew J. Belvedere,
CNBC,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
The flyer encourages students to celebrate the end of the school year after finals.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
When their biggest demonic enemy (Lee Byung-hun) encourages the formation of an equally popular K-pop boy band aimed at stealing the souls of their fans, the trio has to fight harder than ever to hold the demons at bay while keeping their friendship intact.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
After Game 4, jerks were throwing things at Victor Wembanyama.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
-
Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media.—
William Earl,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The Los Angeles guitarist and songwriter touches on grief, rejection, and love in lo-fi shoegaze songs that package sunny melodies with comforting gloom.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
23 June 2026
-
Let guests arrive, grab drinks and catch up before anyone touches a rulebook.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2026
Noun
-
Steely and deliberate songwriting that casually staggers down the line between rhythm and melody, laced with loose yet conscious jams.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
22 June 2026
-
Achieving it in reality would be brutally hard because the target moves, hides, jams, uses decoys, and fights back.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudges. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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