Added 9 October 2026
nudge
/nʌd͡ʒ/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nudge at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A gentle push.
give someone a nudge
- A feature of instant messaging software used to get the attention of another user, as by shaking the conversation window or playing a sound.
-
The rotation by one step of a fruit machine reel of the player's choice.
Since the machine was showing two lemons and a cherry, I decided to try a nudge.
verb
noun
- Alternative form of nudzh.
Origin
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, gnücke (“a sudden push, shock, impetus”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)