nodding 1 of 2

adjective

ˈnä-diŋ How to pronounce nodding (audio)
Definition of noddingnext
as in bowing
bending downward or forward some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nodding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of nod
as in bobbing
to make short up-and-down movements though she couldn't see the rain, she knew it had started because she could see the flowers nod as raindrops hit them

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 nodding
Adjective
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head. — Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Verb
In so doing, Herzog is nodding to the past, but also signaling to soldiers on the ground today that killing a Palestinian is forgivable. — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026 Vintage finds, including an antique Swedish farm table, sit alongside custom bronze racks, while a swath of grass has been installed along the length of the shopfront window, nodding to the prairies of Wescoat Pound’s native Midwest. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Outside, Terremoto approached the garden with a similar balance of continuity and reinvention, nodding to the home’s midcentury origins without slipping into pastiche. — Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026 Oh, yes, sure,’ said Stanton, nodding out, still thinking about music. — Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026 Among the guests at the launch celebration were Coco Rocha and Debbie Harry, weaving through the space and stopping at the backlit bar for drinks, nodding along to the sounds of DJ duo Las Flaquitas. — Ruby Ford-Dunker, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026 How does the festival define where the label is now while nodding to its history? — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Smiling, nodding her head, dancing on her own, rapping along to her own song. — Jason Sheeler, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026 West, who was raised in Chicago, is seen nodding to the music and filming on his phone, while Kardashian cheers and points at their daughter. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodding
  1. weeping
  2. bobbing
  3. shaking
  4. pumping
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Verb
  • On Collins Ave in Miami Beach, the yachts along the intracoastal were bobbing nearly at street level.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The world was not watching, but the ostriches were, their heads bobbing above the pen like periscopes.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of bobbing
Verb
  • There’s seat-shaking violence in how the whale breaches the surface and slams its weight back down (the crafty sound design is by James Miller) and body horror in its claustrophobic, spongy inner chambers.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Just below the broad smile he’s been wearing all morning, John Ternus’ hands are shaking.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of shaking
Verb
  • The authors of this latest paper sought to capture the venom-pumping kinematics of honey bee stingers in order to identify the underlying biomechanics.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund was still pumping cash — more than $5 billion and counting — into the LIV Golf League.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of pumping

Browse Nearby Words

noddies
nodding
nodding off
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Cite this Entry

“Nodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodding. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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