1
as in brushing
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 urging
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 nudging
That motivation wasn’t the product of his famous father nudging him.
—
Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Your 4th House of Family receives support as sensual Venus sextiles unearthing Pluto in your logical 2nd house, nudging you to refresh your routines and polish your living space.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
In the lead-up to the midterms, Kennedy is reportedly nudging HHS away from attacking infectious-disease policy.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
Passionate Mars begins energizing your 9th House of Philosophy today, nudging you to commit to growth.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
Small fixes prevent messes as information-gathering Mercury turns retrograde in your 6th House of Wellness, nudging you to refine routines and rest your body and mind.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Impassioned Mars in your sign sextiles vulnerable Chiron in your 3rd House of Correspondence, nudging you to assert your needs.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
The instinctive Moon slips into your 6th House of Work, nudging you to adjust routines so your energy stretches further.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
On Friday, Smart helped the Lakers hold the Clippers to just 27 points in the fourth quarter, their lowest point total in a period Friday, and nudging the Lakers into a victory formation of sorts as Doncic fired off a fourth-quarter flurry of six points in the final two minutes.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 21 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Your 4th House of Family receives support as sensual Venus sextiles unearthing Pluto in your logical 2nd house, nudging you to refresh your routines and polish your living space.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
In the lead-up to the midterms, Kennedy is reportedly nudging HHS away from attacking infectious-disease policy.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
Passionate Mars begins energizing your 9th House of Philosophy today, nudging you to commit to growth.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
Small fixes prevent messes as information-gathering Mercury turns retrograde in your 6th House of Wellness, nudging you to refine routines and rest your body and mind.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Impassioned Mars in your sign sextiles vulnerable Chiron in your 3rd House of Correspondence, nudging you to assert your needs.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
The instinctive Moon slips into your 6th House of Work, nudging you to adjust routines so your energy stretches further.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
On Friday, Smart helped the Lakers hold the Clippers to just 27 points in the fourth quarter, their lowest point total in a period Friday, and nudging the Lakers into a victory formation of sorts as Doncic fired off a fourth-quarter flurry of six points in the final two minutes.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudging
Verb
-
This includes activities like brushing your hair, reaching for objects on shelves or playing certain sports.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
-
After each dangerous sequence, however, the singer is shown casually brushing himself off and returning to set, while the stunt performers who executed the risky scenes appear bruised and dusty as filming wraps.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The intuitive Moon squares Saturn, pitting your 3rd House of Distractions against your 6th House of Pragmatism, urging specific words, meticulous timing, and sensible boundaries.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The rest of the team departed Sydney Tuesday for Malaysia, arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where video posted to social media showed members of the Iranian community urging them not to return to Iran.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Watson was photographed kissing Oxford University classmate Kieran Brown in July 2024.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The Harry Potter actress was recently seen kissing Gonzalo Hevia Baillères, a tech CEO and billionaire from Mexico, in photos obtained by People.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In fact, the director was egging me on, encouraging me to go further with the hunching and muttering.—
Andrew Martin,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Benevolent Venus complements rule-minded Saturn in your 11th House of Friendship, encouraging clear agreements with your teams and friends.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudging. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
