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
For loyalty teams, the real allure is real-time agility: Rewards can flex by the minute, nudging behavior without the delays of traditional quarterly campaigns.
—Boris Dzhingarov, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Snub: Seth Meyers’ Time Slot Put Him at a Disadvantage
By moving from four to three submissions in the talk series category, Meyers’ late start time could have nudged him out of his other late night competitors.
—William Earl, Variety, 15 July 2025
But Meyers, who was nudged out of the main late-night Emmy category as a result of a fall in nomination spots, has a chance to put that right this year.
—Peter White, Deadline, 15 July 2025
Some players need to be prodded to go to the gym; Johnson has to be nudged out of it.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
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Boris Dzhingarov, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Snub: Seth Meyers’ Time Slot Put Him at a Disadvantage
By moving from four to three submissions in the talk series category, Meyers’ late start time could have nudged him out of his other late night competitors.
—William Earl, Variety, 15 July 2025
But Meyers, who was nudged out of the main late-night Emmy category as a result of a fall in nomination spots, has a chance to put that right this year.
—Peter White, Deadline, 15 July 2025
Some players need to be prodded to go to the gym; Johnson has to be nudged out of it.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nudge. Accessed 22 Jul. 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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