1
as in to brush
to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing
accidentally nudged me as they squeezed past
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nudge
Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 Feb. 2026
Shared decision-making tools that present options in balanced, comprehensible formats can support informed choice without nudging patients toward any particular decision.
—Jared Rhoads, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
Steve Hruby, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Jan. 2026
Consider this a little nudge to get you out the door.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Verb
The former is a ring on the bottom of the rock that skids across the ice, and the latter is a band around the sides of the rock that collides with other rocks (ideally knocking an opponent’s rock off the bull’s-eye or nudging your team’s closer to it).
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 Feb. 2026
Shared decision-making tools that present options in balanced, comprehensible formats can support informed choice without nudging patients toward any particular decision.
—Jared Rhoads, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
Noun
But if your income was already too high to qualify, this bump is more of a nudge than a game changer.
—Steve Hruby, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Jan. 2026
Consider this a little nudge to get you out the door.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudge
Verb
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Allowing people to keep doing some tasks on their own, like brushing their teeth, is critical for keeping their sense of self in the world.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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Wash and brush the animals in your house to lessen the amount of allergens in the air.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Lake County Council passed a resolution Tuesday to urge the state legislature to pass a bill to disclose the specific fees hidden in utility bill delivery charges.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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As an example, Raskin pointed to the Justice Department’s failed attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers who urged service members to not comply with unlawful orders in a video posted in November.—
Ana Ceballos,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The proposal comes after a push to increase the hotel worker minimum wage to $30 over time and ahead of a June ballot that could potentially leave voters tax fatigued amid the city’s budget struggles.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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The launch of Robinhood Chain comes as the company is in a push to embrace tokenization, which CEO Vlad Tenev last year described as a freight train coming to financial markets.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Zubimendi’s effort kissed the post on its way in, but Declan Rice and Kai Havertz had shots from similar distances whizz just past the frame of the goal in the 15 minutes before half-time.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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There are so many benefits to kissing.—
Susan Spencer,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Your 7th House of Partnership steadies as boundary-setting Saturn arrives, encouraging clear agreements across your closest bonds so your diplomatic style can bring fairness without overgiving.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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The evening was more about the vibe; Gelman encourages all guests to dress up in fancy cocktail attire.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Smarmy jerks can get obscenely wealthy in this country just by managing other people’s money.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
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The food shies away from the typical — no crab rangoon here — for finger foods that harken to cuisines outside the South Pacific, like Jamaican style jerk shrimp skewers ($18) and salmon ceviche ($16).—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To show their enduring affection, mated pairs of vultures synchronize their flight patterns, touch their beaks together in what looks like a kiss and entwine their long necks.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
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These segments often touch industries including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, data centers, and the premium end of e-commerce.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudge. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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