to make a slight, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, or command.
to let the head fall slightly forward with a sudden, involuntary movement when sleepy.
to doze, especially in a sitting position.
The speaker was so boring that half the audience was nodding.
to become careless, inattentive, or listless; make an error or mistake through lack of attention.
(of trees, flowers, plumes, etc.) to droop, bend, or incline with a swaying motion.
to bend (the head) in a short, quick downward movement, as of assent or greeting.
to express or signify by such a movement of the head.
to nod approval; to nod agreement.
to summon, bring, or send by a nod of the head.
to cause (something) to lean or sway; incline.
a short, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, or command, or because of drowsiness.
a brief period of sleep; nap.
a bending or swaying movement.
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.
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.
nod out to fall asleep, especially owing to the effects of a drug.
nod off to fall asleep or doze, especially in a sitting position.
He was reprimanded for nodding off in class.
on the nod,
British Slang. on credit.
Slang. drowsy following a dose of a narcotic drug.
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.
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.
to lower and raise (the head) briefly, as to indicate agreement, invitation, etc
(tr) to express or indicate by nodding
she nodded approval
(tr) to bring or direct by nodding
she nodded me towards the manager's office
(intr) (of flowers, trees, etc) to sway or bend forwards and back
(intr) to let the head fall forward through drowsiness; be almost asleep
the old lady sat nodding by the fire
(intr) to be momentarily inattentive or careless
even Homer sometimes nods
a slight, casual, or superficial knowledge (of a subject or a person)
a quick down-and-up movement of the head, as in assent, command, etc
she greeted him with a nod
a short sleep; nap See also land of Nod
a swaying motion, as of flowers, etc, in the wind
informal
agreed, as in a committee meeting, without any formal procedure
(formerly) on credit
informal boxing the award of a contest to a competitor on the basis of points scored
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English nodde, of uncertain origin
Ultimately from Hebrew Nōdh “wandering”
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Previous chairs could persuade a colleague against dissenting with a tweak to the statement—a hawkish phrase here, a dovish nod there—or by implying that action was likelier at a later meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The document emphasizes marriage as a requirement for sex, and gives a nod to the “success sequence” of completing school, finding gainful employment, getting married, and then having children.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Wilson, although admittedly “humbled” by the nod from the filmmaker, wrote: “But I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
She believes the knock-on effects of netball getting the nod from the IOC could "future-proof it for the generations to come".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
I need to hear this, so I nod and listen.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Appeared in the June 13, 2026, print edition as 'Paramount-Warner Deal Wins DOJ Nod'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Lost Records is made by Don't Nod, the original developers of The Life is Strange series, first released in 2015.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2025
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
Banishers comes from the French studio Don’t Nod, best known for story-heavy cult favorites like Vampyr and Life Is Strange.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 11, 2024
And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.’
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
There are opulent chairs, upholstered in pale yellow; a black and white print of a trawler that nods to Hull's fishing heritage.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Lalovavi,” a first opera for both composer Kevin Day and librettist Tifara Brown, is an Afrofuturist fantasy with nods to the “Black Panther” movies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Conversely, Colbert’s fandom can take heart in the nine Emmy nods “The Late Show” scored for its final run of episodes.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Netflix's "Beef" topped the nominations among the limited series contenders with 16, and the streaming giant was second-best overall with 111 nods.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Will puts an arm round her shoulders, and she clears her throat and nods to herself.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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
Shortly after hearing the sentence, a defiant-looking Guo nodded toward a courtroom packed with his supporters and clasped his hands in a praying motion, as he had done repeatedly during his trial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Gunn and full-back Nathan Patterson were then caught under a Bruno Guimaraes cross as Vinicius Jr nodded in his and Brazil's second before half-time.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Proctor nodded along as Coen spoke and enveloped his attorney, Tom Yu, in a bear hug after the ruling was finalized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Mr. Haber glanced at my button panel as he stepped in and nodded to indicate he was headed to the seventh floor as well.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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
"In the afternoon it becomes really intolerable, because this is reclaimed swamp," he said, nodding to Washington's geography.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
The 30-year-old's match-winning double showcased all the reasons Mourinho loved him - the first, nodding down a long ball to Wesley Sneijder and deftly netting the return pass.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Khamenei’s father, Ali Khamenei, publicly approved of talks that led to a 2015 pact with global powers to ease sanctions in exchange for nuclear curbs before nodding to the deal itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
“What happened? The last thing I remember is some gigantic animal attacking me! And who’s this?” she asked, nodding at the large, hairy man at her side.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
