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

My question was, admittedly, a bit esoteric and although I had to nudge the agent ever so slightly, I managed to get my answer pretty quickly, nonetheless.

From Salon

She can’t even nudge it enough to let light in, and with dawning horror, she realizes their giant oak tree must have fallen on top of the cellar.

From Literature

“Let me help, you old fox,” Gingersnipes said, nudging him out of the way.

From Literature

Beijing is effectively trying to lower the marginal cost of child rearing while nudging households toward more confident spending across a cluster of family-oriented categories.

From Barron's

The insurance law expert predicted more defensive default settings, stricter age verification, more stringent parental controls and new alerts to nudge users off the platforms will all flow from the courtroom.

From Los Angeles Times