1
as in to brush
to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing
accidentally nudged me as they squeezed past
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to urge
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nudge
Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Declan Rice won the ball in midfield, nudging it sideways to Odegaard.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Critically, nudging my toe onto the go pedal builds the sensation of acceleration with a steady and predictable ramp-up.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The National Hurricane Center’s Tuesday mid-morning forecast cone nudged the forecast track slightly south, a trend that forecasters say could continue.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Noun
Their cooperation nudged Turkey further toward a statist model with a dominant role for the state in key sectors of the national economy.
—Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Declan Rice won the ball in midfield, nudging it sideways to Odegaard.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Critically, nudging my toe onto the go pedal builds the sensation of acceleration with a steady and predictable ramp-up.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The National Hurricane Center’s Tuesday mid-morning forecast cone nudged the forecast track slightly south, a trend that forecasters say could continue.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudge
Verb
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Once the order is placed, products are frequently sent to drop addresses or freight-forwarding services, as confirmed by official investigations into brushing scams.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Aug. 2025
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Dana brushed her off, but it was later revealed that Langdon was doing what Santos accused him of.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Ahead of his meeting with Putin, Trump met on Aug. 13 virtually with Zelenskyy and leaders of European countries who have urged Trump not to capitulate to Putin's demands during his solo meeting.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
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Morales, who is barred from running due to term limits, has urged supporters to cast blank votes — a move seen by many as an attempt to undermine Senate President Andrónico Rodríguez, who is running independently under the Popular Alliance banner.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Beaman’s most active political advocacy has been with groups lobbying for tax deregulation and education choice, such as the recent push to expand school vouchers in Tennessee.—
Liam Adams,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
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Newsom has portrayed his mid-term redistricting push as necessary to offset Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's pursuit to create five new Republican congressional districts in Texas.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Other sweet shots include Harley kissing her fiancé in his arms, and two celebratory engagement cakes.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
24 Mar. 2025
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In the video, baby Sofia can be seen giggling in her bouncer as Ree sings, plays and tickles her, as well as kissing the happy infant, who looks cute in a floral sleeper.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Mark Armstrong: Traveling to a stunningly remote location encourages you to look inward.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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Miss Manners encourages you instead to put the energy into that letter, thanking the gentleman profusely for attending to such a monumental and potentially harrowing situation with so much grace.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Vendors sold spicy dishes traditional to their countries like Jamaican jerk chicken and tacos from Mexico and the not-so-spicy, like raclette, a dish traditional to Switzerland, where molten cheese from a wheel of raclette cheese is poured over potatoes and other foods.—
Dominick Williams
August 17,
Kansas City Star,
17 Aug. 2025
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Bertha was right, George is being a jerk, and Larry needs to wipe that smug smile off his face.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The fun continues into Saturday, with Family Fun Day from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Kids can enjoy a petting zoo, touch a truck, obstacle course, ice cream and crafts.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
31 Aug. 2025
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This inefficiency has turned remittances into a battleground: traditional money transfer operators defending legacy rails, fintech firms promising cheaper digital alternatives, crypto startups betting on stablecoins, and governments eager to control the flows that touch their monetary sovereignty.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudge. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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