nudge

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /nʌd͡ʒ/ See IPA manual

Freq #18606

Meanings

1

verb
to push against gently

I nudged my friend when I saw their favorite author enter the restaurant.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to push against gently poke atprod

More bump disrupt disturb jog poke push shift tap upset dunch

Opposites

pull tug

Word family

Forms nudgednudgesnudging

Derived forms nudgeablenudgernudginglynudgyunnudged

Etymology

Circa 17th century, perhaps of North Germanic origin, related to Norwegian nugge, nyggje (“to push, rub, shove”), Icelandic nugga (“to rub, massage”), from the root of Proto-Germanic *hnōjaną (“to smooth, join together”), from Proto-Indo-European *kneh₂- (compare Ancient Greek κνάω (knáō, “to scratch, scrape”), source of English acnestis). Compare also Scots nodge (“to push, poke, nudge”), knidge (“to push, squeeze”), gnidge (“to rub, press, squeeze, bruise”), and knudge (“to squeeze, press down with the knuckles”), Saterland Frisian Nukke, Nuk (“a sudden push”), Middle Low German nucke, nücke...

*hnōjaną Proto-Germanic *kneh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# nudge

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /nʌd͡ʒ/
**Frequency rank:** 18606

## Meanings
1. to push against gently

## Examples
- I nudged my friend when I saw their favorite author enter the restaurant.

## Synonyms
- bump
- disrupt
- disturb
- jog
- poke
- push
- shift
- tap
- upset
- poke at
- prod
- dunch

## Antonyms
- pull
- tug

## Derived Forms
- nudgeable
- nudger
- nudgingly
- nudgy
- unnudged

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *hnōjaną
- Root: *kneh₂-

## Etymology
Circa 17th century, perhaps of North Germanic origin, related to Norwegian nugge, nyggje (“to push, rub, shove”), Icelandic nugga (“to rub, massage”), from the root of Proto-Germanic *hnōjaną (“to smooth, join together”), from Proto-Indo-European *kneh₂- (compare Ancient Greek κνάω (knáō, “to scratch, scrape”), source of English acnestis). Compare also Scots nodge (“to push, poke, nudge”), knidge (“to push, squeeze”), gnidge (“to rub, press, squeeze, bruise”), and knudge (“to squeeze, press down with the knuckles”), Saterland Frisian Nukke, Nuk (“a sudden push”), Middle Low German nucke, nücke...

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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