as in bowing
bending downward or forward
some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of nodding
Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
Shipp asked, smiling and nodding slowly.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Flanked by sun-scarred, reddish rocks that look lifted from Arizona, Cars Land is a marvel of a theme park land, with its backdrop mountain range ever so slightly nodding to the fins of classic Cadillacs from 1957 to 1962.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Barena Venezia, the workwear-nodding Italian brand founded in 1993 by Sandro Zara, is opening its first flagship in its hometown of Venice.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
Don Nelson, a master at securing contract extensions, is somewhere in Hawaii, nodding in approval.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 10 May 2026
My favorite part is infamous flopper LeBron James standing there nodding in approval at everything an irate Austin Reaves is saying like an approving father figure.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
They are known for their nodding flowers and evergreen foliage.
—Farima Ferguson, The Spruce, 6 May 2026
Expect a light Western thread in both look and feel, nodding to the city’s cowboy past.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
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
The metaphor of perfect communication as nodding to our contemporary AI revolution is specious beyond a point.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
Shipp asked, smiling and nodding slowly.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Flanked by sun-scarred, reddish rocks that look lifted from Arizona, Cars Land is a marvel of a theme park land, with its backdrop mountain range ever so slightly nodding to the fins of classic Cadillacs from 1957 to 1962.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Barena Venezia, the workwear-nodding Italian brand founded in 1993 by Sandro Zara, is opening its first flagship in its hometown of Venice.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
Don Nelson, a master at securing contract extensions, is somewhere in Hawaii, nodding in approval.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 10 May 2026
My favorite part is infamous flopper LeBron James standing there nodding in approval at everything an irate Austin Reaves is saying like an approving father figure.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
They are known for their nodding flowers and evergreen foliage.
—Farima Ferguson, The Spruce, 6 May 2026
Expect a light Western thread in both look and feel, nodding to the city’s cowboy past.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodding
Verb
-
Two of them were bobbing a couple steps ahead for most of the 3,200-meter state championship race Thursday at Jeffco Stadium.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
-
The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor 007 floats quietly at the mouth of Ballona Creek, gently bobbing with the tide.—
Scotty Reiss,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
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
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
The other shows the two world leaders shaking hands.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
-
Rinse under cold water 1 minute, shaking to ensure a thorough rinse.—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
With bowed heads, friends and classmates wrapped their arms around each other.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of your standard dress shoes, Styles finished the look with a perfect pair of minty-green ballet flats with bowed laces.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Shaggy was holding a squishy ball between his knees and pumping his arms up and down, making his whole body quiver.—
Natalie Meade,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Those are the longest plaudits of the festival, though Refn and cast were doing some cheerleading and pumping the crowd up after the lights went up, which likely prolonged the celebration.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodding. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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