budge

¹ American  

[buhj] / bʌdʒ /

verb (used without object)

budged, budging

1. to move slightly; begin to move.

   He stepped on the gas but the car didn't budge.

2. to change one's opinion or stated position; yield.

   Once her father had said “no,” he wouldn't budge.

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verb (used with object)

budged, budging

1. to cause to move; begin to move.

   It took three of them to budge the rock.

2. to cause (someone) to reconsider or change an opinion, decision, or stated position.

   They couldn't budge the lawyer.

   Synonyms:

   convince, sway, move, induce, persuade

budge ² American  

[buhj] / bʌdʒ /

noun

1. a fur made from lambskin with the wool dressed outward, used especially as an inexpensive trimming on academic or official gowns.

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adjective

1. made from, trimmed, or lined with budge.

2. Obsolete. pompous; solemn.

Budge ³ American  

[buhj] / bʌdʒ /

noun

1. (John) Donald, 1915–2000, U.S. tennis player.

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budge ¹ British  

/ bʌdʒ /

verb

1. to move, however slightly

   the car won't budge

2. to change or cause to change opinions, etc

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Budge ² British  

/ bʌdʒ /

noun

1. Don ( ald ). 1915–2000, US tennis player, the first man to win the Grand Slam of singles championships (Australia, France, Wimbledon, and the US) in one year (1938)

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budge ³ British  

/ bʌdʒ /

noun

1. a lambskin dressed for the fur to be worn on the outer side

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Other Word Forms

• budger noun
• unbudged adjective
• unbudging adjective

Etymology

Origin of budge¹

1580–90; < Anglo-French, Middle French bouger to stir < Vulgar Latin *bullicāre to bubble, frequentative of Latin bullīre; 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.

Example Sentences

The inability of successive activists to budge Bennett stems from the management-friendly laws of Maryland, where most REITs are domiciled.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Powell and the committee refused to budge until they were ready.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

The Olympian didn’t budge, and the standoff ended with his disqualification.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

Prime Minister Keir Starmer had to reassure the public that the government wouldn’t budge on this, and thanks to pressure from constituents, it didn’t.

From Slate • Feb. 13, 2026

But when I grab hold of the buoy and start pulling in line, it don’t budge.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick

Related Words

• bend