nudge 
/ˈnʌʤ/ verb
nudg·es; nudged; nudg·ing /ˈnʌʤ/ verb 1 [+ obj] a : to touch or push (someone or something) gently
▪ I nudged the plate closer to him. ▪ The guard nudged the prisoner forward. ▪ The dog nudged the ball with his nose. ▪ We nudged our way (through the crowd) to the exit.
b : to push (someone) gently with your elbow in order to get that person's attention
▪ He nudged me and pointed to the deer. 2 [+ obj] : to encourage (someone) to do something
▪ He was nudged (by his parents) towards a career in law. ▪ The salesman nudged her into testing out the car. 3 a [+ obj] : to come close to (a particular level or amount)
▪ Album sales are nudging the one million mark.
b always followed by an adverb or preposition [no obj] : to move slightly to a different level or amount
▪ The price of gold has nudged a little higher.
▪ I nudged the plate closer to him. ▪ The guard nudged the prisoner forward. ▪ The dog nudged the ball with his nose. ▪ We nudged our way (through the crowd) to the exit.
b : to push (someone) gently with your elbow in order to get that person's attention
▪ He nudged me and pointed to the deer.
▪ He was nudged (by his parents) towards a career in law. ▪ The salesman nudged her into testing out the car.
▪ Album sales are nudging the one million mark.
b always followed by an adverb or preposition [no obj] : to move slightly to a different level or amount
▪ The price of gold has nudged a little higher.
— nudge noun, plural nudges [count]
▪ He gave me a nudge in the ribs.
▪ He gave me a nudge in the ribs.
