Synonyms of nudging

nudging

verb

present participle of nudge

1

as in brushing

to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing

accidentally nudged me as they squeezed past

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brushing
• kissing
• touching
• caressing
• shaving
• skimming
• grazing
• stroking
• scraping
• bumping
• patting
• missing
• contacting
• sweeping
• skipping
• glancing
• striking
• swiping
• petting
• bouncing
• cuddling
• loving
• fondling
• ricocheting
• caroming
• sideswiping
• rebounding
• skirting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hitting
• knocking
• bumping
• slapping
• smacking
• slamming
• punching
• banging
• impinging
• impacting
• crashing
• smashing
• colliding
• whacking
• clashing
• swiping
• thudding
• bashing
• ramming
• thwacking

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

• urging
• encouraging
• prodding
• prompting
• pushing
• coaxing
• spurring
• goading
• exhorting
• propelling
• pressing
• egging (on)
• driving
• stimulating
• imploring
• hurrying
• cajoling
• provoking
• beseeching
• pressuring
• rushing
• hustling
• importuning
• wheedling
• nagging
• fomenting
• inciting
• instigating
• stirring (up)
• needling
• adjuring
• blandishing
• soft-soaping
• high-pressuring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discouraging
• deterring
• checking
• restraining
• dissuading
• curbing
• braking
• constraining
• inhibiting
• holding back

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nudging

The Moon conjoins surprising Uranus in your 4th House of Home and Family, nudging rhythm changes and fresh feelings around your private world. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 2026

With its growing range, the company has also recently begun nudging users towards its $20-per-month Meta One Premium subscription by capping the Conversational Focus feature at just three free hours per month. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 8 July 2026

Your 3rd House of Communication awakens as the intuitive Moon moves in, sharpening timing and nudging you to say what helps tasks move. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026

And by nudging two other family members to put a hand on the wheel, everyone felt a bit of control. — David Crown, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Oura’s Resilience score uses a 14-day window to track stress load against recovery, nudging users to think in multi-week training blocks rather than daily streaks. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026

Mora picked the ball up on halfway and just kept on motoring forward, moving towards two runners on the right, eventually nudging the ball through for Jorge Sanchez, who bundled the ball across for Quinones to finish. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026

But the temperatures in Paris — with record highs for June nudging past 40 C (104 F) during the day and 25 C (77 F) at night — have been grueling. — ABC News, 25 June 2026

The administration frames the free model as a deliberate effort to route economic activity and equity toward small businesses, backed by a Five Borough Winners Special promotion nudging fans into neighborhood bars and restaurants rather than FIFA’s perimeter. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 June 2026