- 1[transitive] nudge somebody/something to push somebody gently, especially with your elbow, in order to get their attention He nudged me and whispered, ‘Look who's just come in.’ Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbgently, playfully phrasesnudge somebody in the ribs See full entry
- 2[transitive] nudge somebody/something + adv./prep. to push somebody/something gently or gradually in a particular direction He nudged the ball past the goalie and into the net. She nudged me out of the way. (figurative) He nudged the conversation towards the subject of money. (figurative) She tried to nudge him into changing his mind (= persuade him to do it).
- 3[transitive, intransitive] nudge (something) + adv./prep. to move forward by pushing with your elbow He nudged his way through the crowd.
- 4[transitive] nudge something (+ adv./prep.) to reach or make something reach a particular level Inflation is nudging 20%. This afternoon's sunshine could nudge the temperature above freezing. Word Originlate 17th cent. (as a verb): of unknown origin; compare with Norwegian dialect nugga, nyggja ‘to push, rub’.Extra examples She nudged him playfully in the ribs. He nudged me and whispered ‘Look who’s just come in.’ The kids were giggling and nudging each other.
nudge
verbBrE BrE//nʌdʒ//; NAmE NAmE//nʌdʒ//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they nudge BrE BrE//nʌdʒ//; NAmE NAmE//nʌdʒ//
he / she / it nudges BrE BrE//ˈnʌdʒɪz//; NAmE NAmE//ˈnʌdʒɪz//
past simple nudged BrE BrE//nʌdʒd//; NAmE NAmE//nʌdʒd//
past participle nudged BrE BrE//nʌdʒd//; NAmE NAmE//nʌdʒd//
-ing form nudging BrE BrE//ˈnʌdʒɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈnʌdʒɪŋ//
Check pronunciation: nudge
