budge

1 of 3

noun

ˈbəj How to pronounce budge (audio)
Synonyms of budgenext
: a fur formerly prepared from lambskin dressed with the wool outward

budge

2 of 3

verb

budged; budging

intransitive verb

1
: move, shift
the mule wouldn't budge
2
: to give way : yield
wouldn't budge on the issue

transitive verb

: to cause to move or change

budge

3 of 3

adjective

archaic
: pompous, solemn

Synonyms

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of budge in a Sentence

Verb Their horses refused to budge. The door was stuck, and we couldn't even get it to budge. Could you try opening this jar for me? I can't budge the lid. We tried to change her mind, but we couldn't budge her.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Supply and Demand The problem here is simply one of supply and demand: while the supply of music grows at an increasing rate every year, the demand for it barely budges. — Bill Rosenblatt, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 And yet one thing never budges: they've been undocumented for over three decades. — Jasmine Garsd, NPR, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
However, Trump’s trade team doesn’t seem to be budging, per sources close to New Delhi. — Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 14 Mar. 2025 The Russell 2000 index tracking small-cap stocks is down 17% from its post-election high and has hardly budged since the end of 2020, while large caps have enjoyed stronger gains for the last two years. — Hank Tucker, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The works council and union have repeatedly warned of further escalation of strikes should Volkswagen's management not budge in negotiations. — Sophie Kiderlin,jenni Reid,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2024 Nike hasn’t seen its emissions budge in the past decade, despite promises to sharply reduce them. — Rob Davis, ProPublica, 6 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for budge

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bugee, from Anglo-French buge

Verb

Anglo-French bouger, from Vulgar Latin *bullicare, from Latin bullire to boil — more at boil

Adjective

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1578, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of budge was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing budge

Rhymes for budge

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Browse Nearby Words

budge
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Cite this Entry

“Budge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/budge. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

budge

verb
ˈbəj
budged; budging
1
: move entry 1 sense 1
2
: give in, yield
wouldn't budge on their opinion

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