budge
verb (used without object)
to move slightly; begin to move.
budge
1 American
[buhj]
/ bʌdʒ /
verb (used without object)
-
budges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
budged,
past participle, past
-
budging
present participle
-
to move slightly; begin to move.
He stepped on the gas but the car didn't budge.
-
to change one's opinion or stated position; yield.
Once her father had said “no,” he wouldn't budge.
verb (used with object)
-
budges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
budged,
past participle, past
-
budging
present participle
budge
2
American
[buhj]
/ bʌdʒ /
noun
adjective
-
made from, trimmed, or lined with budge.
-
Obsolete. pompous; solemn.
Budge
3
American
[buhj]
/ bʌdʒ /
noun
budge
1
British
/ bʌdʒ /
verb
-
to move, however slightly
the car won't budge
-
to change or cause to change opinions, etc
Budge
2
British
/ bʌdʒ /
noun
budge
3
British
/ bʌdʒ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
budgesimple
-
budgessimple
-
have budgedperfect
-
has budgedperfect
-
am budgingprogressive
-
are budgingprogressive
-
is budgingprogressive
-
have been budgingperfect progressive
-
has been budgingperfect progressive
Past
-
budgedsimple
-
had budgedperfect
-
was budgingprogressive
-
were budgingprogressive
-
had been budgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of budge1
1580–90; < Anglo-French, Middle French bouger to stir < Vulgar Latin *bullicāre to bubble, frequentative of Latin bullīre; see boil 1
Origin of budge2
1350–1400; Middle English bugee, perhaps akin to budget
Explanation
To budge is to move — but just a little bit. People can budge physically from where they're sitting or standing, and people can budge from opinions and positions too. If a bunch of your friends are sitting on a bench, and they're taking up too much space for you to sit, you could ask them to budge, meaning "Move over!" If you hate eggs and refuse to eat them no matter how they're cooked, you are refusing to budge from your anti-egg policy. Budge is most often used in a negative way, as in "I won't budge" or "They wouldn't budge." This word often applies to stubborn people. Since budge means to move just a tiny bit, what's the big deal? Someone who accuses you of not budging is basically saying you should.
Vocabulary lists containing budge
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
So Nantz delivered a solid blow to the ball, which didn’t budge in Watt’s arms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Instead, after Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn refused to budge on their contractual right to stage the fight on British soil, the Welsh capital has taken centre stage.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
If Acme won’t budge, small-estate probate could provide a more-than-adequate safety net.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
If, for instance, auto tariffs aren’t eased significantly, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose economy relies heavily on the industry, is unlikely to budge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
I push with all my weight against the door, but it won’t budge.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
At 22 and nearly nine months, Alcaraz is now the youngest man to win all four majors, breaking an 87-year-old record held by the American Don Budge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026
In tennis history, Alcaraz surpassed Don Budge, who had won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open by the age of 22 years and 355 days in 1938.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
Budge, who becomes an OBE, performed a similar rescue act at Hearts.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
“Police are supposed to de-escalate, but here the sergeant did the opposite,” Budge said in a written statement.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
They stay in Ballygunge, Tollygunge, Salt Lake, Budge Budge, ferried by endless bumpy taxi rides back and forth through the city.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Despite the difficulties and dilemmas, her friends and colleagues agree she is not someone who budges easily.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2024
And while making everything sound this easy likely requires hard work, Nudy never sweats, hardly budges, barely blinks.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 22, 2022
In contrast, the M87 black hole barely budges during a weeklong observing run, “like the Buddha, just sitting there,” Dr. Doeleman.
From New York Times ● May 12, 2022
If neither side budges from its current demands, the talks—which have been in hiatus for five months—are likely to go nowhere, in which case we will see the sharpening of tensions or worse.
From Slate ● Nov. 29, 2021
I feel twin surges of pride and panic as no one budges.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
The ETF does benefit from breakpoints, but they kick in at such high asset levels that its fees have barely budged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
They put the probability of recession in the coming 12 months at 24%, barely budged from 25% in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
More than a century later, the vocabulary has modernized, but the underlying idea has barely budged.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
The crypto pulled back 50% after its October 2025 peak, but 60% of holders haven’t budged the last 12 months, analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
The moment I budged, though, he would be awake and staring around in panic.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
Natural-gas prices, meanwhile, are down 8% in 2026 after barely budging in 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Chevron and Exxon Mobil were barely budging on the heels of first-quarter earnings, falling 0.3% and rising 0.6%, respectively.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Despite not budging on their spending plans, the companies are running their refineries at full tilt to take advantage of soaring prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Chevron and Exxon Mobil were barely budging on the heels of first-quarter earnings, falling 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
They stared at each other without budging, until finally Jay blinked.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
