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

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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; cf. nudnik

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Explanation

Sometimes you just need a little nudge or slight push to get your day going. It might be a coffee, or your favorite song, or your mom stripping the covers and standing over your bed. Take your pick. Some people believe the word nudge comes from the Norwegian dialect nugga meaning "to push, rub." This makes sense, since a nudge is a push of sorts. But it's more of a gentle push. Think of nudging coals around in a fire or a crowd of people nudging to the stage at a concert. When you gently annoy your husband so he'll mow the lawn, you're nudging him along.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nudge nudged nudging

Taken together, the moves are “a nudge, not a game changer,” Barclays analysts wrote last week, and are far smaller than the stimulus package from September 2024.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The new auto-enrollment features may nudge more businesses to explain the accounts to staff, said Elbert, even if management isn’t planning its own contributions.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

It said its foreign ministry made dozens of calls to nudge peace along, and that President Xi Jinping himself had intervened with suggestions to end the fighting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Yet Schoenbrun’s observations are presented in the film as though they’re opaque, overloaded with smug surrealism and jam-packed with visual stimuli designed to wink and nudge at the otherwise obvious.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

My feet nudge aside the vigil remnants, giving me more room to work.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

All the demand has nudged prices even higher.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

The dollar nudged higher while bitcoin rose slightly to trade around $81,600.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Bitcoin nudged back above $83,000, while New York gold futures were little moved at $4,141 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

My friend quickly paid me for the recent dinner after I casually nudged her in our group chat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

He climbed the stairs at the end of the passageway, nudged open the trapdoor, and entered the area that ran lengthwise between Ford’s and the saloon next door.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Take the ice-dependent polar bear, rapidly losing its food-sustaining habitat and having to perilously adapt by nudging further and further into human spaces.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

OTTAWA—Canada’s economy unexpectedly shed jobs for a second month running, nudging the unemployment rate higher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

More than 30,000 tickets were sold for Old Trafford at Trinity's end, nudging the attendance past 71,000 for the sold-out showpiece that guaranteed a new name on the trophy for the second year running.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

“If that’s right, it could mean Shingrix is nudging the whole trajectory of neuroinflammation in a healthier direction.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Boomer sits loyally on my other side, occasionally nudging me with a concerned nose.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

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