nudge
verb
\ ˈnəj
\
\
nudged;
nudging
Definition of nudge
1
: to touch or push gently
… nudged the cue ball with the tip of the cue.— 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
2
: to prod lightly : urge into action
… have been nudged into starting their own ventures …— Janet Bamford
3
: approach
its circulation is nudging the four million mark— Bennett Cerf
: to give a nudge
She nudged and jostled through the crowd.
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
But nudges like that over that weekend in June became a giant can of gasoline. — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, "The Bears are on the big stage tonight — with the rest of the NFL watching. The goal is to end the season in similar fashion.," 5 Sep. 2019 Neither movie explicitly pits its protagonist’s professional aspirations against her ability to find romance, but both gently nudge their characters away from the pitfalls of constant toiling. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Netflix Wants You to Ditch the Hustle and Find Love," 31 Aug. 2019 Banks, stressed by bad loans, are unlikely to act on the government’s nudge to lend more to borrowers. — Anand James, Quartz India, "Foreign investors are still not enthused by Modi government’s latest policy boost," 29 Aug. 2019 Census officials envision clergy asking churchgoers to take out their cellphones to answer questions before services and announcers nudging fans at baseball games. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Greatest head count in US history is nearly ready for launch," 27 Aug. 2019 In his welcoming remarks, Ted credited exercise for his long life, so guest Joe Thompson, a former tennis coach at LCHS, nudged Ted about joining him in a game of tennis. — Jane Napier Neely, La Cañada Valley Sun, "The Valley Line: Backyard birthday soiree brings songs, smiles all around," 27 Aug. 2019 Questions remain: Will Microsoft nudge Amazon Alexa to the forefront? — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft signals probable Surface launch event for Oct. 2," 27 Aug. 2019 They're studded with a few naked sunbathers, nudged from their sun daze by the chug of our engine, heads draped in sexily shredded straw hats. — Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, "These Islands Near Sicily Might Be the Last Uncrowded Part of Italy," 22 Aug. 2019 Unlike broadcast propaganda or direct marketing, this approach also uses the self-reinforcing qualities of the algorithm to learn what works best to persuade and nudge each individual. — Wired Opinion, WIRED, "AI Algorithms Need FDA-Style Drug Trials," 15 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nudge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for nudge
nudge
verb
English Language Learners Definition of nudge
: to touch or push (someone or something) gently
: to push (someone) gently with your elbow in order to get that person's attention
: to encourage (someone) to do something
See the full definition for nudge in the English Language Learners Dictionary
nudge
verb
\ ˈnəj
\
\
nudged;
nudging
Kids Definition of nudge
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to touch or push gently
The teacher nudged her students back to class.
2
: to attract the attention of by touching or pushing gently (as with the elbow)
He nudged me and pointed to the huge cake on the table.
nudge
nounKids Definition of nudge (Entry 2 of 2)
: a slight push
Judy gave Peter a nudge to wake him.— Chris Van Allsburg, Jumanji
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