/nʌd͡ʒ/
OriginCirca 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”). Compare also dialectal nuch (“to tremble”), Middle English nuchen (“to tremble”).
- A gentle push.
- InternetA 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.”
- The use of positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions as ways to influence.
“All this experimentation is yielding insights into which nudges give the biggest shove. One question is whether nudges can be designed to harness existing social norms. In Copenhagen Pelle Guldborg Ha”
“Manipulating behavior is old hat in the private sector, where advertisers and companies have been nudging consumers for decades. Just think of strategically placed chocolate bars at the checkout count”
- transitiveTo push against gently, especially in order to gain attention or give a signal.
“Libertarian paternalism is the view that, because the way options are presented to citizens affects what they choose, society should present options in a way that “nudges” our intuitive selves to make”
- transitiveTo near or come close to something.
“This year's profits are nudging the 10 million mark.”
- transitiveTo move slightly.
“But a serious public health and economic crisis, and the responses to it from commonwealth and state governments, seems to have nudged some “protest” voters back into the major party fold.”
Formsnudges(plural) · nug(alternative) · nudges(present, singular, third-person) · nudging(participle, present) · nudged(participle, past) · nudged(past)