1
as in brushing
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 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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nudging
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
Brendan Mackay of Canada took the bronze, nudging American Nick Goepper off the podium on the last run of the 11-man final.
—CBS News, 20 Feb. 2026
Cogan appears to be nudging the Supreme Court to change its approach to determining what is and isn’t considered a crime of violence.
—John Annese, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
Shared decision-making tools that present options in balanced, comprehensible formats can support informed choice without nudging patients toward any particular decision.
—Jared Rhoads, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Brendan Mackay of Canada took the bronze, nudging American Nick Goepper off the podium on the last run of the 11-man final.
—CBS News, 20 Feb. 2026
Cogan appears to be nudging the Supreme Court to change its approach to determining what is and isn’t considered a crime of violence.
—John Annese, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
Shared decision-making tools that present options in balanced, comprehensible formats can support informed choice without nudging patients toward any particular decision.
—Jared Rhoads, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudging
Verb
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Frame sleep like other daily health habits such as brushing teeth and focusing on benefits kids can see, such as feeling and performing better, Sterni suggested.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Choosing shorter showers, turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth, running full loads of laundry and dishes, fixing dripping faucets, adjusting irrigation schedules and watering lawns only when needed can all reduce demand on our aquifers.—
Claire Marks,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The cost of inaction could be substantial enough to justify urging candidates to assess their viability before the filing deadline.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued a Critical Incident Report to law enforcement partners warning that the hacktivist group, the Cyber Islamic Resistance has called for cyberattacks against the United States and Israel, urging mobilization of cyber warfare supporters.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Artist Rafa Esparza, who had a painting on view showing men in cowboy hats dancing closely and kissing, called the content advisory censorship.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Feb. 2026
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But what’s undeniable to anyone with two eyes is that Ellison, like so many corporate leaders, has been kissing up to Trump for more than a year — first to get control of Paramount and then in an attempt to make his company’s acquisition of Warners look inevitable.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The bill contains provisions encouraging local and state governments to build more housing.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Mar. 2026
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There is a lot of change happening on the home front, encouraging you to remodel parts of your dwelling.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudging. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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