1
as in brushing
to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing
accidentally nudged me as they squeezed past
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
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.
—Chicago Tribune, 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
The former is a ring on the bottom of the rock that skids across the ice, and the latter is a band around the sides of the rock that collides with other rocks (ideally knocking an opponent’s rock off the bull’s-eye or nudging your team’s closer to it).
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 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, 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
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.
—Chicago Tribune, 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
The former is a ring on the bottom of the rock that skids across the ice, and the latter is a band around the sides of the rock that collides with other rocks (ideally knocking an opponent’s rock off the bull’s-eye or nudging your team’s closer to it).
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 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
-
The toothpaste and accelerator systems whiten and improve overall oral wellness simply by brushing for two minutes twice a day.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Removing the jewelry when taking part in sports is also recommended, along with brushing twice per day and not skipping routine dental visits.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This is where the tension between the agency and legislators comes from, as lawmakers are urging a faster shift.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Several people spoke during public comment on the agenda item, all urging the school board to reject Senate Bill 11.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Carolyn and John play cat and mouse at a Calvin Klein event at Indochine, avoiding each other at the restaurant and kissing in alleys, where the paparazzi can’t see them.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2026
-
How Kit Harington Ended Up In the Film The behind-the-scenes footage arrived roughly six months after Turner first discussed the awkwardness of kissing her former on-screen sibling.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Someone in the video is heard encouraging Hellebuyck to respond to the president.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Fiery Mars leaps into a supportive sextile to healing Chiron, encouraging us to make the first move in mending strained bonds of any type.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudging. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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