nudge

¹

[nuhj]

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

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

Or noodge,

[nooj]

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.

verb (used without object)

nudged, nudging 

1. to nag, whine, or carp.

noun

1. a person who nudges; pest.

nudge

/ 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

noun

1. a gentle poke or push

2. a gentle reminder

Other Word Forms

• nudger noun

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nudge¹

C17: perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Icelandic nugga to push

Example Sentences

“Suddenly with a plop, the egg landed on the straw. With clucks of pleasure the hen shook her feathers, nudged the egg with her beak, and left,” Goodall wrote almost 60 years later.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s also a ghost in the movie, I think — at least, there’s a heavy hinge that shouldn’t be able to open without a spectral nudge.

From Los Angeles Times

Retired judge Amar Saran says the mounting backlog has forced judges into a "cut-grass approach" - issuing quick, standard orders, from nudging the government to act to directing lower courts to handle the matter.

From BBC

They adopted a Daft Punk-ish distance on “Electronic Performers,” touting how “MIDI clocks ring in my mind ... We need envelope filters to say how we feel,” but they didn’t really need that wink and nudge.

From Los Angeles Times

"This is not just a gentle nudge; it's a bold challenge to a system that has hoarded power for decades."

From BBC

When To Use

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."