nod

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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

nod^¹

/nɒd/ New Zealand, UK
/nɑd/ US
/nɔd/ Australia, Estuary English, Wales

Sounds like gnawed (cot–caught merger) · Rhymes with -ɒd, -ɑd, -ɔd

Where it comes from

From Middle English nodden, probably from an unrecorded Old English *hnodian (“to nod, shake the head”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnodōn, from Proto-Germanic *hnudōną (“to beat, rivet, pound, push”), from Proto-Indo-European *kendʰ-, from *ken- (“to scratch, scrape, rub”). Compare Old High German hnotōn (“to shake”), hnutten (“to shake, rattle, vibrate”) (> modern dialectal German notteln, nütteln (“to rock, move back and forth”)), Faroese njóða (“to clench a nail”), Icelandic hnjóða (“to rivet, clinch”), Faroese noða (“to double by bending”), Icelandic hnoða (“to clinch, rivet”).

verb nods · nodding · nodded

ambitransitive To incline the head up and down, as to indicate agreement. ‘She has big breasts’, Chuck said. ‘Who? Patty? Oh yes.’ Hentman nodded. ‘Well, it’s that operation they give in Hollywood and New York. It’s more the rage now than the dilation, and she’s had that done, too.’
ambitransitive To briefly incline the head downwards as a cursory greeting.
ambitransitive To sway, move up and down. By every wind that nods the mountain pine.
intransitive To gradually fall asleep.
transitive To signify by a nod. They nodded their assent.
intransitive To make a mistake by being temporarily inattentive or tired Even Homer nods.
intransitive, transitive To head; to strike the ball with one's head. Jones nods the ball back to his goalkeeper.
figuratively, intransitive To allude to something. Though the title nods to the Italian neo-realist classic Bicycle Thieves—and Cyril, much like the father and son in that movie, spends much of his time tracking down the oft-stolen possession—The Kid With A Bike isn’t about the bike as something essential to his livelihood, but as his sole connectio
intransitive, slang To fall asleep while under the influence of opiates.

noun nods

An instance of inclining the head up and down, as to indicate agreement, or as a cursory greeting.
A reference or allusion to something. Much like Mirror Mirror, Huntsman appears to borrow liberally from other fantasy films. Sometimes the nods are clever—Stewart’s first night in the forest, among hallucinatory fog that gives the trees faces and clutching hands, evokes Disney’s animated Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs from 1937.
A nomination. For the fifth time in her career she received a Grammy nod, she has yet to win the award.
figuratively Approval. The plan is expected to get the nod from councillors at the next meeting.
A state of half-consciousness; stupor. Withered addicts drooped into chronic heroin nods.

NOD^²

noun NODs

abbreviation, initialism Initialism of notice Of disagreement; filed by an appellant in response to a denial of veteran's benefits in United States law.
US, abbreviation, initialism Initialism of Night Optical/Observation Device

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: sway, nutation, wink, blink, doze, drowse, bow, heartbeat, nick, jiffy, rooftop, go-ahead, roof, acquiesce, dreamland, greeting

Translations

Every language

verb incline the head up and down

Español	asentir con la cabeza, cabecear
한국어	끄덕이다 kkeudeogida
日本語	頷く unazuku
中文	點頭 /点头 diǎntóu
Português	assentir, acenar
Français	dodeliner, hocher
Deutsch	nicken
Italiano	annuire, accennare, scuotere
Română	da din cap
Русский	кива́ть kivátʹ, кивну́ть kivnútʹ
Tiếng Việt	gật đầu, gật
العربية	أَوْمَأَ ʔawmaʔa, أَوْمَأَ بِرَأْسِهِ ʔawmaʔa biraʔsihi
עברית	הרכין

verb gradually fall asleep

Español	cabecear
中文	打盹 dǎdǔn
Português	cabecear
Français	dodeliner, somnoler, piquer du nez
Deutsch	einnicken
Italiano	addormentarsi, appisolarsi, cadere in catalessi
Română	dormita
Русский	клева́ть но́сом klevátʹ nósom, задрема́ть zadremátʹ, дрема́ть dremátʹ

noun instance of moving one's head

Español	cabezada, venia, sombrerazo, ademán
中文	點頭 /点头 diǎntóu
Português	aceno
Français	signe de la tête, hochement
Deutsch	Kopfnicken
Italiano	cenno
Русский	киво́к kivók
العربية	إِيمَاءَة ʔīmāʔa, هَزَّة hazza

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Cite this

MLA

"nod." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nod. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

nod. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nod

Chicago

"nod." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nod.

BibTeX

@misc{nod_2026,
  title = {nod},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nod},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}

nod