as in bowing
bending downward or forward
some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bobbing
to make short up-and-down movements
though she couldn't see the rain, she knew it had started because she could see the flowers nod as raindrops hit them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nodding
Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026
And Berryman’s script is chock full of sharp humor and gut-wrenching insights that had many women in the opening-night audience nodding frequently in affirmation.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Columbine's delicate, nodding flowers bloom best in part shade in the South.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026
Jennifer Hudson delivered a Dreamgirls medley during the event, nodding to the 2006 film in which Murphy starred.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
During the defense's bid for more time, Amber Robinson was nodding her head in agreement.
—Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Instead of showing footage, Brooks popped in to reveal the film's official title, nodding to the original film's sequel joke in the process.
—Maddie Garfinkle, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Even the bartender in the cozy corner bar was nodding his head to the music and tapping his hands on the bar counter to the beat.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Moore responded to the judge by nodding, while his wife’s eyes welled with tears in the courtroom’s front row.
—Larry Lage, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.
—Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Verb
For designer Anita Yokota, Benjamin Moore’s Smoky Blue is a standout—a soothing, nature-nodding hue that soothes on sight.
—Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026
And Berryman’s script is chock full of sharp humor and gut-wrenching insights that had many women in the opening-night audience nodding frequently in affirmation.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Columbine's delicate, nodding flowers bloom best in part shade in the South.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026
Jennifer Hudson delivered a Dreamgirls medley during the event, nodding to the 2006 film in which Murphy starred.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
During the defense's bid for more time, Amber Robinson was nodding her head in agreement.
—Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Instead of showing footage, Brooks popped in to reveal the film's official title, nodding to the original film's sequel joke in the process.
—Maddie Garfinkle, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Even the bartender in the cozy corner bar was nodding his head to the music and tapping his hands on the bar counter to the beat.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Moore responded to the judge by nodding, while his wife’s eyes welled with tears in the courtroom’s front row.
—Larry Lage, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodding
Verb
-
Naval mines bobbing in the waters of the Persian Gulf, threatening oil tankers.—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Here on the shore, overlooking the lighthouse and the harbor’s bobbing boats, partners Claire Hanrahan and Andrew Ainslie’s restaurant is the epitome of laidback chic with its country-kitchen interiors and butter yellow frontage.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
On Thursday night, after shaking off a deal that was short-circuited by another team, the Ravens would make a pick (Penn State guard Vega Ioane) that symbolically spoke to the franchise’s core values.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Backstage, everyone was crying and shaking, Pearlman says.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
With bowed heads, friends and classmates wrapped their arms around each other.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of your standard dress shoes, Styles finished the look with a perfect pair of minty-green ballet flats with bowed laces.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The painting, which shows Trump famously pumping his fist after surviving gunfire at a campaign rally, was installed in the White House State Floor in April 2025.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Ragans was pumping high velocity.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodding. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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