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
Last week, Ian seemed to be nudging Robert into taking her off the board.
—
Noel Murray, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2025
Where’s this rising courage nudging you to act bigger and bolder?
—Usa Today, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Instead, the director Scott Cooper’s film turns on Landau recognizing that the tracks reflect Springsteen confronting inner darkness—including his conflicted feelings about his father and his fear of his growing fame—and nudging the musician to realize his need for further help.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Ultimately, Grapski said Praia's goal is to continue to improve nudging capabilities to get more engagement and reduce pain points across healthcare.
—Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
My grandma gave my brother and I each a budget to work within, often nudging us to pool our resources and work together to find the perfect gift for each parent.
—Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2025
The scores reflected the judges' differing opinions, with Hough downgrading from his eight of last week to a score of seven and Inaba nudging up to an eight.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
As the new month begins on October 1st, Juno enters Sagittarius and lights up your communication and curiosity sector, nudging you to speak from your gut instead of your script.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Sep. 2025
Douthat talks to a wide range of guests, nudging them toward unexpectedly cosmic discussions of good and evil and the future of humanity.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Noel Murray, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2025
Where’s this rising courage nudging you to act bigger and bolder?
—Usa Today, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Instead, the director Scott Cooper’s film turns on Landau recognizing that the tracks reflect Springsteen confronting inner darkness—including his conflicted feelings about his father and his fear of his growing fame—and nudging the musician to realize his need for further help.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Ultimately, Grapski said Praia's goal is to continue to improve nudging capabilities to get more engagement and reduce pain points across healthcare.
—Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
My grandma gave my brother and I each a budget to work within, often nudging us to pool our resources and work together to find the perfect gift for each parent.
—Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2025
The scores reflected the judges' differing opinions, with Hough downgrading from his eight of last week to a score of seven and Inaba nudging up to an eight.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
As the new month begins on October 1st, Juno enters Sagittarius and lights up your communication and curiosity sector, nudging you to speak from your gut instead of your script.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Sep. 2025
Douthat talks to a wide range of guests, nudging them toward unexpectedly cosmic discussions of good and evil and the future of humanity.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudging
Verb
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Daily baguette runs to the local bakery – an errand that Anract says used to be as automatic and ritualistic as brushing teeth – have become less frequent.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
PetMD recommends making brushing as enjoyable for your dog as possible.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Authorities are urging the public to avoid open areas and to be alert to structures, trees, and power lines due to the risk of falls and accidents.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The agency is also urging people to keep pets on a leash when recreating outdoors, particularly near riparian habitats, which are where moose prefer to live.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Jana, who is the oldest Duggar daughter, and Wissmann could be seen kissing in one photo and showing off Jana's growing bump in another.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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Avoiding close contact, such as kissing or sharing drinks, with anyone who has respiratory symptoms also can limit spread.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There was a lot to like about Jovic’s performance on Saturday, with Heat veteran guard Norman Powell pushing and encouraging him along the way.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Nov. 2025
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Salt-n-Pepa also joined in, and the group of artists concluded the set with a call-and-response moment alongside the crowd, encouraging everyone to scream along.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudging. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
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