Budge
/bʌdʒ/
verbB1
Definition
To budge means to move slightly or a little bit from a place or position. It can also mean to change your mind or opinion a little. People often use it when something is stuck or very hard to move.
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⚡ See It in Action
To move slightly from a fixed position
- •The car wouldn’t budge even after many tries.
- •He tried to push the door, but it didn’t budge.
- •The heavy box finally budged after we all pushed together.
To change opinion or decision a little
- •She wouldn’t budge on her decision to stay home.
- •After a long talk, he finally budged and agreed to help.
- •The company refused to budge on the price.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "budge" like "move" (A1 word), but only a very small or slow move, not a big step
- ✓Picture a heavy box that won’t move at first, but then it moves just a tiny bit—this is budging
- ✓It’s the feeling when someone does not want to change their mind, but finally agrees a little
- ✓Sounds like "judge" but with a 'b' → imagine a judge who refuses to change their decision, but then *budges* a little
- ✓Think of a story where two people argue and one finally *budges* a little to agree
- ✓NOT like "run" (big, fast movement), "budge" is slow and small movement
- ✓NOT like "change" (which can be big), "budge" is a small or slight change
- ✓NOT like "push" (forceful action), "budge" can happen with little or no force
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Shift: to move slightly (Use when the movement is small but more physical than opinion)
- •Yield: to give way or agree after resisting (Use when talking about changing opinions or decisions)
- •Move: to change position (Use in general contexts, less about difficulty or small size)
🔍 Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no clear prefix or suffix, root word "budge")
- •Etymology: From Middle English, possibly from Old French "bouger" meaning to move or shake
- •Historical development: Used since the 15th century to mean small movement or change of position
- •Modern usage: Commonly used to describe small physical movements or slight changes in opinion or decision
- •Interesting fact: Often used in negative forms like "won't budge" to show refusal to move or change
💭 Reflect & Connect
•What situations in your life require you to budge a little, either physically or in your opinions?
•Can you think of times when not budging is important? When is it better to stand firm?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.The old door wouldn’t budge no matter how hard they ___ it.
2.She refused to budge on her opinion, even after hearing all the ___.
3.When the heavy box finally budged, we all ___ a sigh of relief.
4.Sometimes it’s good to budge a little in an argument to ___ peace.
5.The car wouldn’t budge until someone pushed it from the ___ side.
6.He wouldn’t budge until he was sure he had all the ___.
7.After hours of talking, the two sides finally budged and reached a ___.