budge

¹ American  

[buhj] / bʌdʒ /

verb (used without object)

budged, budging

1. to move slightly; begin to move.

   He stepped on the gas but the car didn't budge.

2. to change one's opinion or stated position; yield.

   Once her father had said “no,” he wouldn't budge.

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verb (used with object)

budged, budging

1. to cause to move; begin to move.

   It took three of them to budge the rock.

2. to cause (someone) to reconsider or change an opinion, decision, or stated position.

   They couldn't budge the lawyer.

   Synonyms:

   convince, sway, move, induce, persuade

budge ² American  

[buhj] / bʌdʒ /

noun

1. a fur made from lambskin with the wool dressed outward, used especially as an inexpensive trimming on academic or official gowns.

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adjective

1. made from, trimmed, or lined with budge.

2. Obsolete. pompous; solemn.

Budge ³ American  

[buhj] / bʌdʒ /

noun

1. (John) Donald, 1915–2000, U.S. tennis player.

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budge ¹ British  

/ bʌdʒ /

verb

1. to move, however slightly

   the car won't budge

2. to change or cause to change opinions, etc

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Budge ² British  

/ bʌdʒ /

noun

1. Don ( ald ). 1915–2000, US tennis player, the first man to win the Grand Slam of singles championships (Australia, France, Wimbledon, and the US) in one year (1938)

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budge ³ British  

/ bʌdʒ /

noun

1. a lambskin dressed for the fur to be worn on the outer side

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Other Word Forms

• budger noun
• unbudged adjective
• unbudging adjective

Etymology

Origin of budge¹

1580–90; < Anglo-French, Middle French bouger to stir < Vulgar Latin *bullicāre to bubble, frequentative of Latin bullīre; boil ¹

Origin of budge²

1350–1400; Middle English bugee, perhaps akin to budget

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, U.S. natural-gas prices have hardly budged, and oil that is cheaper than overseas barrels should keep their input costs relatively stable, resulting in greater profit margins.

From The Wall Street Journal

MarketWatch reported back in February that the average S&P 500 stock had registered an absolute swing of 10% year to date at that time, while the S&P 500 itself had barely budged.

From MarketWatch

But like overall inflation, this measure hasn’t budged in a year.

From The Wall Street Journal

Reading and math scores have barely budged, achievement gaps remain, and too many families are trapped in a system that fails their children.

From The Wall Street Journal

But nothing I did or said would budge her from that stream.

From Literature

Related Words

• bend