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
By nudging or priming people with these human-like cues, then that shifts us more into the warmth dimension.
—
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Or set the dial to infinity point (∞) on your lens' dial and take an image, nudging past it for each successive image until the stars are sharp.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
That’s like a flower scrupulously nudging out from between sidewalk slabs, a breath of fresh air.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
The Full Moon highlights your 4th House of Traditions, nudging you to think about what makes your residence a true home base.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
In practical terms, those hedging flows have acted like a magnet, nudging Bitcoin higher while capping gains.
—Sidhartha Shukla, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Your 9th House of Expansion is energized by Venus and Chiron aligning, nudging you to choose growth over perfection in an expanding field.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
But that respite was short-lived, with the price of Brent crude, the international standard, nudging back over $100 a barrel Tuesday, up nearly 40% since the war started.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
In some cases, the compression worked in the festival’s favor, nudging people to leave overcrowded screenings and redirect their attention to other corners of the event.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Or set the dial to infinity point (∞) on your lens' dial and take an image, nudging past it for each successive image until the stars are sharp.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
That’s like a flower scrupulously nudging out from between sidewalk slabs, a breath of fresh air.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
The Full Moon highlights your 4th House of Traditions, nudging you to think about what makes your residence a true home base.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
In practical terms, those hedging flows have acted like a magnet, nudging Bitcoin higher while capping gains.
—Sidhartha Shukla, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Your 9th House of Expansion is energized by Venus and Chiron aligning, nudging you to choose growth over perfection in an expanding field.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
But that respite was short-lived, with the price of Brent crude, the international standard, nudging back over $100 a barrel Tuesday, up nearly 40% since the war started.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
In some cases, the compression worked in the festival’s favor, nudging people to leave overcrowded screenings and redirect their attention to other corners of the event.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudging
Verb
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Moving to the couple's bedroom, the HGTV star can be seen dropping clothes on the floor right in front of the hamper, before brushing her teeth in the bathroom and spitting out water all over the mirror.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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Cocoon provides comfort through soft, cozy textures achieved by brushing and flocking.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pittsburgh Regional Transit Officials are urging people attending the draft and going to Pittsburgh to use public transit with major road closures and traffic restrictions that will be in place throughout the three-day event.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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In March, Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, sent a letter urging Ottawa to increase efforts to protect Jewish communities after three synagogues in the Toronto area were hit by gunfire within just one week.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Truthfully, the ant was already out of the bag, because the trailer that Marvel debuted at CinemaCon on Thursday included a shot of Scott/Ant-Man kissing his daughter on the head.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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The proud parents could be seen kissing in front of the courthouse and posing for photos outside of it with their children running around them.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Between parking restrictions and road closures, Boston is encouraging Marathon Monday visitors to walk, bike, take the T — anything but drive — to watch the runners or attend the day’s festivities.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
20 Apr. 2026
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The five-star analyst added that growing demand in scale-up networking is giving confidence in continued strength in future earnings, encouraging investors to look beyond 2027 and factor in these opportunities.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudging. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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