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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nudging
Brook Health can respond to the data in real time—nudging patients to remind them when to take their vitals and providing health recommendations when needed.
—
Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Before September comes to a close, however, your passion intensifies, as do questions around intimacy, shared investments and desire, nudging you to create a healthy balance in your love life.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
According to a leading space researcher, the project involves launching a spacecraft to collide with a small asteroid located tens of millions of miles away, with the goal of nudging its orbit by just over an inch.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
Paris is nudging people out of taxis and cars.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
In any event, this retrograde is nudging you to choose quality over quantity.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
In nudging the city toward a healthier, safer, more equitable version of itself.
—Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Guidance For full-year fiscal 2026, CrowdStrike management left its revenue outlook essentially unchanged, nudging up the low end by $5 million.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
Butorac has spent much of the past year quizzing, cajoling and nudging those stars, ultimately devising a format geared to their needs.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Before September comes to a close, however, your passion intensifies, as do questions around intimacy, shared investments and desire, nudging you to create a healthy balance in your love life.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
According to a leading space researcher, the project involves launching a spacecraft to collide with a small asteroid located tens of millions of miles away, with the goal of nudging its orbit by just over an inch.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
Paris is nudging people out of taxis and cars.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
In any event, this retrograde is nudging you to choose quality over quantity.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
In nudging the city toward a healthier, safer, more equitable version of itself.
—Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Guidance For full-year fiscal 2026, CrowdStrike management left its revenue outlook essentially unchanged, nudging up the low end by $5 million.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
Butorac has spent much of the past year quizzing, cajoling and nudging those stars, ultimately devising a format geared to their needs.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudging
Verb
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Another, also built from white disks on a bending wire, evokes a mechanized Japanese cherry tree, its circles—perched high on a narrow stem—not revolving so much as brushing quickly past one another.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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The second verse is no less random, with lyrics about moonwalking on a UFO, dropping bars while brushing teeth and a shout out to legendary 2001 blaxploitation-adjacent comedy Pootie Tang.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In late August, nine Republican House lawmakers sent a letter urging the DOJ to halt a cannabis rescheduling proposal.—
Dario Sabaghi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Nevertheless, meteorologists are urging people to remain alert, as sea temperatures remain high and storms can still form well into October and even November.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When Taylor looks over, Jere is kissing a girl in the kitchen.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The two announced their romance on Instagram April 20 with a photo of Cyrus kissing her on the cheek.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The immediacy and interactivity of social media platforms amplified the outrage, encouraging group mobilization.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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By encouraging curiosity, leaders and employees can move beyond surface-level use and unlock the full potential of the tools around them.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudging. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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