# nod

Pronunciation: say "NOD" US /nɑd/, UK /nɒd/, AUS /nɔd/

## Verb

1. To move the head up and down, often to show agreement.
   - Simple: To move your head up and down to show you agree or say yes.
   - _Audience members began to nod as the speaker made her point._
   - _She nodded slowly, signaling that she agreed with the plan._
3. To briefly lower the head as a quick greeting.
   - Simple: To quickly tip your head down to say hello to someone.
   - _She nodded to a few familiar faces before taking her seat._
   - _Passing acquaintances nod to each other without stopping to talk._
5. To make an indirect reference to something.
   - Simple: To hint at or point to something without saying it directly.
   - _The closing speech nodded to the founders without naming any of them._
   - _Their new songs nod to the synth-heavy music of the 1980s._
6. To express or indicate something by means of a nod.
   - Simple: To show or answer something by moving your head up and down.
   - _The chairman nodded his approval and the meeting moved on._
   - _Players nod their readiness to the referee before the match begins._
7. To gradually drift into sleep, especially while sitting.
   - Simple: To slowly start falling asleep, usually while sitting still.
   - _Several passengers nodded as the train rocked gently through the night._
   - _She tried not to nod during the afternoon meeting._
9. To sway or rock gently up and down.
   - Simple: To move gently up and down, the way something does in the wind.
   - _The heavy blossoms nodded under the weight of the rain._
   - _Wildflowers nod along the hillside as gusts pass over them._
10. To strike the ball with the head, as in soccer.
   - Simple: To hit the ball with your head, as in soccer.
   - _The striker nodded the cross into the bottom corner._
   - _Tall defenders nod confidently under pressure from corners._
11. To make an error through a momentary lapse of attention or tiredness.
   - Simple: To make a small mistake because you are tired or not paying attention.
   - _Experienced editors sometimes nod and let an error slip through._
   - _She nodded briefly and made a careless slip in the calculation._
14. To drift into sleep under the influence of opiates. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To start falling asleep while under the effect of strong drugs.
   - _Users often nod within minutes of a heavy dose._
   - _He nodded in the corner, barely able to keep his eyes open._

## Noun

2. A single up-and-down movement of the head, used to show agreement or as a brief greeting.
   - Simple: A quick up-and-down movement of the head to show you agree or to say hello.
   - _He answered with a single nod and went back to work._
   - _A polite nod was all the recognition the two rivals offered each other._
4. A reference or allusion to something, often as a subtle acknowledgment.
   - Simple: A small mention or hint that points to something else.
   - _The new logo is a clever nod to the company's founding year._
   - _Critics noticed the novel's many nods to classic detective fiction._
8. Formal approval or permission to proceed.
   - Simple: An official approval that lets a plan move forward.
   - _The committee gave the proposal its nod after a long debate._
   - _Funding moved forward once the director's nod came through._
12. A nomination, especially for an award or position.
   - Simple: A choice that names someone for an award or job.
   - _The young striker got the nod for the national squad._
   - _Three of her songs earned nods at the music awards._
13. A state of half-consciousness or drowsy stupor.
   - Simple: A sleepy, dazed state between being awake and asleep.
   - _After the long shift, he drifted into a heavy nod at his desk._
   - _The medication left her floating in a half-aware nod for hours._

## Origin

From Middle English nodden, probably from an unrecorded Old English *hnodian ("to nod, shake the head"), going back through Proto-Germanic *hnudōną ("to beat, rivet, pound, push") to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to scratch or rub." It is related to Old High German hnotōn ("to shake") and Icelandic hnjóða ("to rivet, clinch").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/nod (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).