nudging

verb

present participle of nudge
1
as in brushing
to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing accidentally nudged me as they squeezed past

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in urging
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action the car salesman nudged me into taking a test-drive, even though I had said that I was just looking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nudging And by nudging two other family members to put a hand on the wheel, everyone felt a bit of control. — David Crown, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Oura’s Resilience score uses a 14-day window to track stress load against recovery, nudging users to think in multi-week training blocks rather than daily streaks. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 The state in recent months has begun nudging the river district and the eight groundwater districts within the basin to begin taking more concrete steps to slow the depletion. — Allen Best, Denver Post, 14 June 2026 Your 3rd House of Communication awakens as the intuitive Moon moves in, sharpening timing and nudging you to say what helps tasks move. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026 The nurturing Moon enters your 6th House of Daily Routine, nudging you to set a clear calendar block that protects your focus. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026 Mora picked the ball up on halfway and just kept on motoring forward, moving towards two runners on the right, eventually nudging the ball through for Jorge Sanchez, who bundled the ball across for Quinones to finish. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026 But the temperatures in Paris — with record highs for June nudging past 40 C (104 F) during the day and 25 C (77 F) at night — have been grueling. — ABC News, 25 June 2026 The administration frames the free model as a deliberate effort to route economic activity and equity toward small businesses, backed by a Five Borough Winners Special promotion nudging fans into neighborhood bars and restaurants rather than FIFA’s perimeter. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudging
  1. brushing
  2. urging
  3. kissing
  4. encouraging
Verb
  • Officials are advising anyone who experienced a water outage or low water pressure in the affected area to boil tap water before using it for drinking, cooking, preparing baby food or brushing their teeth.
    — CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • In my test shot, a sneaker remained, but brushing over it re-created the rocks underfoot.
    — Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 29 June 2026
Definition of brushing
Verb
  • When that didn’t change the safe call, Dalton immediately pointed to the Dodgers dugout, mask in hand urging manager Dave Roberts to challenge.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • To end the endless copying, Anthropic has joined OpenAI in urging the US to view distillation attacks as a form of intellectual property theft.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026
Definition of urging
Verb
  • When the Chiefs won, the Grammy winner joined Kelce on the field, kissing and hugging him.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Cameras captured them kissing and hugging on the field after the game.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
Definition of kissing
Verb
  • The commission has launched several initiatives leading up to the anniversary, including America's Field Trip, a nationwide essay and artwork contest for students, and volunteer service campaigns encouraging Americans to log community service hours.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • No one was ever charged with pulling the trigger, but three other men, Paul McIntyre, 58, Peter Cavanagh, 37, and Jordan Gareth Devine, 25, were charged with murder as accomplices for encouraging or assisting the shooter.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of encouraging

Browse Nearby Words

nudges
nudging
nudism
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Cite this Entry

“Nudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nudging. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on nudging

Nglish: Translation of nudging for Spanish Speakers

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