nod
verb (used without object)
to make a slight, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, or command.
nod
1 American
[nod]
/ nɒd /
verb (used without object)
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nods,
present (3rd person singular)
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nodded,
past participle, past
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nodding
present participle
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to make a slight, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, or command.
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to let the head fall slightly forward with a sudden, involuntary movement when sleepy.
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to doze, especially in a sitting position.
The speaker was so boring that half the audience was nodding.
- Synonyms:
- drowse
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to become careless, inattentive, or listless; make an error or mistake through lack of attention.
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(of trees, flowers, plumes, etc.) to droop, bend, or incline with a swaying motion.
verb (used with object)
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nods,
present (3rd person singular)
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nodded,
past participle, past
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nodding
present participle
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to bend (the head) in a short, quick downward movement, as of assent or greeting.
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to express or signify by such a movement of the head.
to nod approval; to nod agreement.
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to summon, bring, or send by a nod of the head.
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to cause (something) to lean or sway; incline.
noun
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nods
plural
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a short, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, or command, or because of drowsiness.
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a brief period of sleep; nap.
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a bending or swaying movement.
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a gesture or action indicating that someone or something has been approved, selected, recognized, etc..
The domed ceiling is a nod to traditional library reading rooms.
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a nomination, as for an office or award: The film has received critical praise and two Oscar nods.
It looks like he’s locked up the party’s nod for governor.
The film has received critical praise and two Oscar nods.
verb phrase
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nod out to fall asleep, especially owing to the effects of a drug.
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nod off to fall asleep or doze, especially in a sitting position.
He was reprimanded for nodding off in class.
idioms
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on the nod,
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British Slang. on credit.
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Slang. drowsy following a dose of a narcotic drug.
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get the nod, to get approval; be selected, recognized, etc.: He got the nod as starting pitcher for the Phillies.
We’ve gotten the nod from the administration to hire two assistant professors.
He got the nod as starting pitcher for the Phillies.
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give the nod, to give an indication of approval, recognition, etc.: It wasn’t till May that the company was given the nod to schedule the event.
The board gave the nod to the new proposal.
It wasn’t till May that the company was given the nod to schedule the event.
Nod
2
American
[nod]
/ nɒd /
nod
British
/ nɒd /
verb
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to lower and raise (the head) briefly, as to indicate agreement, invitation, etc
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(tr) to express or indicate by nodding
she nodded approval
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(tr) to bring or direct by nodding
she nodded me towards the manager's office
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(intr) (of flowers, trees, etc) to sway or bend forwards and back
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(intr) to let the head fall forward through drowsiness; be almost asleep
the old lady sat nodding by the fire
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(intr) to be momentarily inattentive or careless
even Homer sometimes nods
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a slight, casual, or superficial knowledge (of a subject or a person)
noun
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a quick down-and-up movement of the head, as in assent, command, etc
she greeted him with a nod
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a short sleep; nap See also land of Nod
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a swaying motion, as of flowers, etc, in the wind
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informal
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agreed, as in a committee meeting, without any formal procedure
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(formerly) on credit
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informal boxing the award of a contest to a competitor on the basis of points scored
nod
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nodsimple
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nodssimple
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have noddedperfect
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has noddedperfect
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am noddingprogressive
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are noddingprogressive
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is noddingprogressive
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have been noddingperfect progressive
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has been noddingperfect progressive
Past
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noddedsimple
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had noddedperfect
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was noddingprogressive
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were noddingprogressive
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had been noddingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nod1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English nodde, of uncertain origin
Origin of Nod2
Ultimately from Hebrew Nōdh “wandering”
Explanation
When you nod, you shake your head up and down, as if you're indicating agreement. If you want to say "Yes" without uttering a single word, all you have to do is nod. There's the deliberate nod, when you agree with someone by raising and lowering your chin, and then there's the accidental nod — when you're so sleepy that your eyes close and your head dips down. You can even say you "nod off to sleep" in this case. If you know someone well enough to nod at them when you pass, but not well enough to stop and chat, you can call that person "a nodding acquaintance."
Vocabulary lists containing nod
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:
Columna is a nod to Angelenos who make up the backbone of the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
“What’s a good story if things end up the way they began?” she ponders over the narration in the film’s opening sequence, itself a nod to how the first movie begins.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Spencer Schoenbaum was there celebrating his 29th birthday with friends — all of them wearing Bruin polo shirts and khaki shorts, as a nod to Aztec coach Sean Lewis’ statement about UCLA’s purported preppy fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
The name is a nod to the women’s suffrage movement and was popularized by a 1912 textile industry strike in Lawrence, Mass.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Will looked at me and gave me a little nod.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Appeared in the June 13, 2026, print edition as 'Paramount-Warner Deal Wins DOJ Nod'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Her acting career began at the age of three, when she was cast as King of the Land of Nod in a school play.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2024
The results provide valuable insights into the complex interplay between nitrogen nutrition, Nod factor signaling, and root microbiome assembly.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
The combination of the 7 and the Nod 9 were unbelievable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
Thev Nod their heads yes, The blood of Chocolate running From the corners Of their mouths.
From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto
It also showed up to this year’s Emmys with 24 nods, a record in the comedy category.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
"Eyes-brimming, the veteran singer gave herself little nods of approval after every line, before finally breaking down at the end of the track, seemingly overwhelmed at having made it through."
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Throughout our conversation, in fact, the pair chuckles, nods along to each other’s answers, interjects sounds of assent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
But it also nods to what both “Transamerica” and “Travelin’ Thru” do so well, suggesting that there are various interpretations for everything in life.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
He nods then, again trying for a bright smile.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Investors listened, nodded solemnly—and then proceeded to buy more AI stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
He smiled and nodded in thanks after a supporter in the public gallery shouted "hang in there!"
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Shane nodded, but for now, he says he can only play at one level: loud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
He nodded to the families of “children who are not coming home, members of a very terrible club that I am a member of myself.”
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
‘I was in the south. With the Red Deer Clan. I was learning Magecraft. Saeunn,’ he nodded at the old woman talking to the raven, ‘our Mage, she wanted me to go.’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Wiatt isn’t laughing, but he’s nodding and smiling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Madonna looks at a world where “no one wants to go outside,” nodding at the ways the COVID-19 pandemic broadly increased our isolation and made people more fearful of reality and each other.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
"Are we in a zoo or something?" 68-year-old pensioner Anton Sabucha protested to AFP, nodding to the signs outside his house.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
During both hydration breaks, Tuchel gathered his team around him and was animated in giving instructions, with the players nodding their head in agreement at what was being said.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Pita was all bug-eyed and big-eared, nodding like a ratoncita, nervous as a little mouse sitting precariously on the edge of a wooden trap.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Definitions 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.
