nudged; nudging
1
: to touch or push gently
… nudged the cue ball with the tip of the cue.—
Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux
especially
: to seek the attention of by a push of the elbow
… nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy … —J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling 2
: to prod lightly : urge into action
… have been nudged into starting their own ventures …—Janet Bamford
Janet Bamford3
: approach
its circulation is nudging the four million mark—Bennett Cerf
Bennett Cerf
: to give a nudge
She nudged and jostled through the crowd.
nudge
noun
nudger
noun
Examples of nudge in a Sentence
I nudged the plate closer to him.
The guard nudged the prisoner forward.
The dog nudged the ball with his nose.
He nudged me and pointed to the deer.
The salesman nudged her into testing out the car.
Album sales are nudging the one million mark.
The price of gold has nudged a little higher.
Recent Examples on the Web
Carpenter is going to be a mainstream presence for a very long time whatever happens on Grammy night, but multiple general category wins would nudge a remarkable upward trajectory even higher.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2025
Recent studies speculate that massive depopulation, especially in the Americas, which removed the torch and allowed forests to reclaim land and so sequester atmospheric carbon, may have even helped nudge the planet into the Little Ice Age from the mid-16th to mid-19th centuries.
—Stephen Pyne, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025
That coin also jumped in early trading, nudging above $13 at its height, before dropping below $5 as of Monday afternoon, according to CoinGecko.
—Chandelis Duster, NPR, 20 Jan. 2025
Memory bus width has also been nudged downward, from 192-bits to 160-bits.
—Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for nudge 
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Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2025
Recent studies speculate that massive depopulation, especially in the Americas, which removed the torch and allowed forests to reclaim land and so sequester atmospheric carbon, may have even helped nudge the planet into the Little Ice Age from the mid-16th to mid-19th centuries.
—Stephen Pyne, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025
That coin also jumped in early trading, nudging above $13 at its height, before dropping below $5 as of Monday afternoon, according to CoinGecko.
—Chandelis Duster, NPR, 20 Jan. 2025
Memory bus width has also been nudged downward, from 192-bits to 160-bits.
—Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for nudge
Dictionary Entries Near nudge
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nudge. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nudge
verb
nudged; nudging
: to touch or push gently
especially
: to attract the attention of by a push of the elbow
nudge
noun
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