Meaning of “nudge” in the English Dictionary

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"nudge" in English

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nudgeverb

uk ​ /nʌdʒ/ us ​ /nʌdʒ/

› [ T ] to push something or someone gently, especially to push someone with your elbow (= the middle part of your arm where it bends) to attract the person's attention:

The children were giggling and nudging each other.
He nudged the cat off the sofa so that he could sit down.

› [ I + adv/prep, T ] to move slowly and almost reach a higher point or level:

Oil prices continue to nudge higher.
Peter must be nudging 40 now.

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Idiom(s)

nudge nudge (wink wink)

nudgenoun [ C ]

uk ​ /nʌdʒ/ us ​ /nʌdʒ/

› the act of nudging someone or something:

I gave him a nudge to wake him up.

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(Definition of “nudge” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"nudge" in American English

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nudgeverb [ T ]

us ​ /nʌdʒ/

› to push someone or something gently, sometimes to get someone’s attention:

My wife nudged me to tell me to get off the phone so that she could use it.
nudge
noun [ C ] us ​ /nʌdʒ/

›

I gave him a nudge to wake him up.

(Definition of “nudge” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"nudge" in Business English

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nudgeverb

uk ​ /nʌdʒ/ us ​

› [ I or T ] to move by a small amount in a particular direction, especially up, or make something do this:

Shares in the company nudged higher while its competitors' shares fell.
nudge up Interest rates are gently nudging up.
nudge sth up The Federal Reserve began nudging interest rates up.
nudge (sth) down The credit card nudged down the APR of loans taken out online from 6.1% to 5.9%.

› [ T ] to be close to reaching a particular price or level:

With crude nudging $72 a barrel, the price of unleaded was once again the subject of concern.
Inflation is nudging 10%.

nudgenoun [ S ]

uk ​ /nʌdʒ/ us ​

› a slight change in the value or level of something, usually an increase:

give sth/get a nudge Before long medical costs will get another upward nudge as the number of older people in rich countries rises.
give a nudge to sth News that retail sales rose more than most had expected gave a nudge to a number of retail stocks.

› a small action that encourages something to happen:

Gold reacts to the smallest nudge of the US dollar.

(Definition of “nudge” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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