nudge

¹ American  

[nuhj] / nʌdʒ /

verb (used with object)

nudged, nudging

1. to push slightly or gently, especially with the elbow, to get someone's attention, prod someone into action, etc.

   Synonyms:

   jog, poke, elbow

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verb (used without object)

nudged, nudging

1. to give a nudge.

noun

1. a slight or gentle push or jog, especially with the elbow.

nudge ² American  

[nooj] / nʊdʒ /

Or noodge,

verb (used with object)

nudged, nudging

1. to annoy with persistent complaints, criticisms, or pleas; nag.

   He was always nudging his son to move to a better neighborhood.

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verb (used without object)

nudged, nudging

1. to nag, whine, or carp.

noun

1. a person who nudges; pest.

nudge British  

/ nʌdʒ /

verb

1. to push or poke (someone) gently, esp with the elbow, to get attention; jog

2. to push slowly or lightly

   as I drove out, I just nudged the gatepost

3. to give (someone) a gentle reminder or encouragement

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noun

1. a gentle poke or push

2. a gentle reminder

Usage

Where does the word nudge come from? As our definitions show above, nudge is a verb meaning "to push slightly or gently, specifically with an elbow when doing so literally, in order to get someone's attention or to prod someone along." A nudge is also a noun, meaning "a slight or gentle push or jog, especially with the elbow."But as far as we’re concerned, the origin of the word nudge could certainly stand to budge, as it's often considered obscure.However, we suspect nudge, found by 1665–75, comes from a dialectical variation of knidge or nidge, related to the Old English cnucian or cnocian, meaning "to knock." Every now and again, maybe a stubborn word origin just needs a little ... nudge.Nudge isn’t alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."

Other Word Forms

• nudger noun

Etymology

Origin of nudge¹

1665–75; variant of dial. ( k ) nidge, akin to Old English cnucian, cnocian to knock

Origin of nudge²

1875–80; < Yiddish, stem of nudyen to bore < Polish nudzić; nudnik

Example Sentences

Conway said that “temporary factors” have nudged inflation higher in recent quarters, but expects both imported and domestic price pressures to “head south” from here.

From The Wall Street Journal

—Futures tied to U.S. blue-chip indexes nudged down slightly as traders weigh hawkish Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Put more simply, the artificial intelligence hype has made some investors uneasy about stocks and nudged them toward the perceived safety of government bonds.

From Barron's

The Chinese skier celebrated like her medal was confirmed at that point, despite plenty of skiers waiting in the wings to nudge her off the podium.

From BBC

While the government has invested heavily in its AI, semiconductor, and green energy sectors, it hasn’t done much to get nudge Chinese households out of save mode.

From Barron's