Meaning & use
noodge
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To keep bothering someone with complaints, reminders, or requests until they give in.
Grammar: Can take an object (noodge him) or stand alone: stop noodging.
Patterns
- noodge someone about something
- noodge someone to do something
My aunt keeps noodging me to visit more often.
Please stop noodging; I will send the form tonight.
He noodged the contractor until the repairs were done.
nouncountablehumorous
A person who nags or pesters, often with good intentions but too much persistence.
Grammar: Countable: he is a noodge, they are noodges.
Patterns
- a real noodge
My brother is a real noodge about backing up files.
Every office seems to have one noodge who chases people for reports.
Word forms
| third person singular | noodges |
|---|---|
| past tense | noodged |
| past participle | noodged |
| -ing form | noodging |
| plural (noun) | noodges |
Common combinations
- noodge someone about something
- She noodged him about the taxes.
- noodge someone into doing something
- They noodged him into joining the club.
- stop noodging
- Stop noodging, I already said I would go.
- a persistent noodge
- My grandmother is a persistent noodge about eating.
- noodge and nag
- Parents sometimes noodge and nag at exam time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nag
- Nag is the general English word and is usually critical, while noodge sounds lighter and a bit affectionate.
- pester
- Pester stresses constant annoyance with small demands, whereas noodge suggests repeated pushing toward a specific goal.
- badger
- Badger is more aggressive and relentless than noodge.
- hound
- Hound suggests chasing someone without relief, which is stronger than noodge.
Opposites
Word family
- noodger noun
- a rare variant of noodge for a nagging person
- noodging noun
- the act of nagging persistently
- nudnik noun
- a related Yiddish-derived word for a boring, irritating person
Commonly confused: noodge or nudge?
noodge vs nudge
Nudge means to push gently, usually with the elbow, or to remind lightly once, while noodge means to nag repeatedly.
Practice
My mother ______ me every week to book a dentist appointment.
Choose one answer.
Noodges is the third person singular of the verb noodge, meaning to nag. The other choices are not forms of that verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “noodge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.