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 then there were miles of acute awareness, each step nudging the vanishingly thin line between pain and pleasure. — Talia Abbas, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026 Want brainwave tracking and real-time cues nudging you toward deeper stages? — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026 Luna is journeying through your second house of money, possessions and self-worth, gently nudging you toward fair exchanges. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 Oct. 2026 Ilya’s urging to slow down and observe the safety protocols merely result in Sam nudging him aside, along with Mira for a time. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 None of them won Saturday’s Powerball jackpot, nudging that up to $467 million for Monday’s drawing, or Friday’s Mega Millions top prize, which will be $345 million on Tuesday. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026 The fish folds its body, trying to turn or swim, the water nudging overtop. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 According to a growing mountain of research, people who like their beverages scalding hot may be nudging up their risk of an early grave. — New Atlas, 14 Sep. 2026 Judge seemed thrilled to see Volpe play well, nudging him toward the dugout steps for a curtain call after his grand slam. — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nudging
  1. brushing
  2. urging
  3. kissing
  4. encouraging
Verb
  • The Child Mind Institute notes that losing a close friendship can be emotionally painful for young people, and urges adults to take those experiences seriously rather than brushing them off.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • All residents and other property owners who have experienced water outages, low water pressure, or both, are advised to boil all water or use bottled water for drinking, cooking, preparing baby food or brushing their teeth, the news release said.
    — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of brushing
Verb
  • Later in the festival, around 20 filmmakers, among them directors Chung Ji-young and Lee Myung-se, held a press conference in Busan urging politicians to stop using the film as a political weapon and to leave its judgment to audiences.
    — Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Hundreds of mourners later gathered at Rehman Baba cemetery for mass funeral prayers as grief gripped the neighborhood and announcements echoed from mosque loudspeakers, urging residents to join in prayers for those killed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of urging
Verb
  • The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Shortly after, Lara said her friend was kissing the man near a wall before the pair disappeared.
    — Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of kissing
Verb
  • Anti-Trumpers in Wichita are encouraging folks to attend the next No Kings Nationwide Day of Action on Saturday as a sort of rally warm-up.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But in his statement Hannan argued labor and environmentalists aren’t stopping development, just encouraging it be done safely.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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