as in bowing
bending downward or forward
some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bobbing
to make short up-and-down movements
though she couldn't see the rain, she knew it had started because she could see the flowers nod as raindrops hit them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of nodding
Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Terry Elward, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Nothing’s more awkward than everyone nodding along to a beat that’s barely audible.
—PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
In December 2023, the school board passed a resolution vowing to rethink school choice and prioritize neighborhood schools, nodding to their role as vital community hubs.
—Mila Koumpilova, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2025
Across the state, many different styles of pavement art are affected – not just rainbows, but also designs nodding to racial equality, police, and a university.
—Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Rodrigo Bentancur scored with these movements against Ipswich and Wolves, nodding home outswinging corners from the right.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Many of the top comments — both written and memed — are nodding to Curtis’ chest.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2025
Each of the 219 rooms and suites balances a muted color palette with Fifth Avenue glam—marble and metallic accents gently punctuate the spaces, nodding to the hotel’s art deco history.
—Kenne Dibner, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2025
To mark her return to the big screen, Lohan, with the help of stylist Andrew Mukamal, has rocked look after look nodding to 2003's original Freaky Friday.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.
—Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Verb
Eastern-style methods, including tongue and pulse diagnoses, along with the more Western-nodding body composition analysis, nutritional advice and detox regimens like the three-day program designed by tennis legend Novak Djokovic, enable guests to tailor their ideal wellness retreat.
—Terry Elward, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Nothing’s more awkward than everyone nodding along to a beat that’s barely audible.
—PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
In December 2023, the school board passed a resolution vowing to rethink school choice and prioritize neighborhood schools, nodding to their role as vital community hubs.
—Mila Koumpilova, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2025
Across the state, many different styles of pavement art are affected – not just rainbows, but also designs nodding to racial equality, police, and a university.
—Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Rodrigo Bentancur scored with these movements against Ipswich and Wolves, nodding home outswinging corners from the right.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Many of the top comments — both written and memed — are nodding to Curtis’ chest.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2025
Each of the 219 rooms and suites balances a muted color palette with Fifth Avenue glam—marble and metallic accents gently punctuate the spaces, nodding to the hotel’s art deco history.
—Kenne Dibner, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2025
To mark her return to the big screen, Lohan, with the help of stylist Andrew Mukamal, has rocked look after look nodding to 2003's original Freaky Friday.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodding
Verb
-
Dramatic video shows the moment nearly 70 shipping containers fell off a cargo ship Tuesday and were left bobbing in the ocean at the Port of Long Beach in California.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The concert film captures Mitski alongside a seven-piece band, bobbing in and out of a beaming spotlight and dark shadows.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
No racist stereotypes, no demeaning facial expressions, no bowed heads, and no broken bodies from the old Hollywood.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
-
The composer also added synths to his orchestral score, as well as bowed metal, where a violin bow is rubbed against metal instruments like a cowbell or a Vibraphone, for when Roz has a particularly intense feeling.—
Mia Galuppo,
The Hollywood Reporter,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
In a new video with Insightec, the Oscar-winning screenwriter, 76, opened up about struggling for years with essential tremor, which left him unable to do simple tasks without shaking, such as holding a cup or writing by hand.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Steam the clams until the shells open, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the size of the clams, shaking the pan once or twice.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
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Travelers can expect to sail past incredible vistas of fjords and towering glaciers, or get their hearts pumping with a requisite polar plunge, diving into the icy waters for the ultimate rush.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In one of the images, Culpo appeared to be pumping milk while getting her hair done.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodding. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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