nod — ozdic

Collocations

39

1

(noun.)

ADJ

brief, brisk, quick, imperceptible, little, slight, small

curt, perfunctory, terse

She gave a perfunctory nod during the meeting but clearly wasn't interested in the discussion.

approving, satisfied

The teacher gave an approving nod when I showed her my finished project.

reassuring

passing

She received a passing nod from her former colleague as they crossed paths in the supermarket.

VERB + NOD

give (sb)

The manager gave us a nod when she walked past our desks.

get

The young musician finally got the nod to perform at the concert next month.

wait for

PREP

at a ~, with a ~

~ from

The teacher gave the signal to start, and at a nod from her, all students began writing.

~ in the direction of, ~ of

She gave a nod in the direction of the empty chair where her friend usually sat.

~ to, ~ towards

She nodded towards the empty chair where her friend usually sat.

PHRASES

a nod of sb's/the head

The old man gave a slight nod of his head to show he agreed with us.

2

(verb.)

ADV

just, merely, only, simply

When I asked if he wanted dessert, he simply nodded and smiled.

fervently, furiously, vigorously, violently

When I asked if he wanted dessert, he nodded furiously like an excited child.

gently

The teacher gently nodded at the nervous student to encourage her to continue speaking.

almost imperceptibly, slightly | slowly | quickly

abruptly, briefly, briskly, curtly

She briefly nodded at her friend across the crowded room before turning back to her work.

jerkily, stiffly

dumbly, mutely, silently, wordlessly

He stared at the question for a moment, then nodded silently in agreement.

absently, abstractedly, vaguely

She nodded vaguely at the question, not really paying attention to what he was saying.

intelligently, sagely, wisely

He nodded wisely when his son explained the problem to him.

back

PREP

at

She nodded at the waiter to bring the bill.

in

He nodded in understanding when I explained the directions to the train station.

to

The teacher nodded to the student who had raised his hand.

towards

She nodded towards the window to show me the beautiful rainbow outside.

with

She nodded with approval when her daughter showed her the test results.

Definitions

verb

1

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.’

2

To briefly incline the head downwards as a cursory greeting.

3

To sway, move up and down.

By every wind that nods the mountain pine.

Frail snowdrops that together cling / and nod their helmets, smitten by the wing / of many a furious whirl-blast sweeping by.

4

To gradually fall asleep.

5

To signify by a nod.

They nodded their assent.

noun

1

An instance of inclining the head up and down, as to indicate agreement, or as a cursory greeting.

2

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.

Early into Zootopia 2, a character celebrates how easy it was to teach everyone to “set aside their differences and solve bias and prejudice forever”—a winking nod towards the mixed reception of the first film’s themes.

3

A nomination.

For the fifth time in her career she received a Grammy nod, she has yet to win the award.

Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Really putting a damper on the ol' Tony nod.

4

Approval.

The plan is expected to get the nod from councillors at the next meeting.

Has the BRB received a secret nod from the Ministry to continue the LMR electrification from Weaver Junction to Glasgow?

5

A state of half-consciousness; stupor.

Withered addicts drooped into chronic heroin nods.

noun

1

Initialism of notice Of disagreement; filed by an appellant in response to a denial of veteran's benefits in United States law.

2

Initialism of Night Optical/Observation Device.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

nod off

To fall asleep, especially unintentionally.

The old lady nodded off to sleep many times during the narration, only waking up when George paused, saying it was most interesting.

a nod is as good as a wink

The hint, suggestion etc. can be understood without further explanation.

a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse

Synonym of a nod is as good as a wink.

nod out

To become drowsy and fall asleep; nod off.

(London calling) And I don’t wanna shout; But while we were talking, I saw you nodding out.

get the nod

be selected; be approved

Burnley's Nick Pope got the nod in goal but he barely touched the ball in the entire game. This was a cap and clean sheet for this talented keeper but nothing else.

Example Bank

6

01

‘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 do

Wiktionary

02

By every wind that nods the mountain pine.

Wiktionary

03

Frail snowdrops that together cling / and nod their helmets, smitten by the wing / of many a furious whirl-blast sweeping by.

Wiktionary

04

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

Wiktionary

05

Early into Zootopia 2, a character celebrates how easy it was to teach everyone to “set aside their differences and solve bias and prejudice forever”—a winking nod towards the mixed reception of the f

Wiktionary

06

For the fifth time in her career she received a Grammy nod, she has yet to win the award.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, nod is marked as figuratively, US. Watch for register when choosing this word.