Dictionary

budge en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /bʌd͡ʒ/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French bouger, from Old French bougier, from Vulgar Latin *bullicāre (“to bubble; seethe; move; stir”), from Latin bullīre (“to boil; seethe; roil”). More at boil.

Meanings

1. (in the negative, intransitive) To move; to be shifted from a fixed position.
   • […]although his ſouldiers were much moved and offended to ſee their fellowes put to the worſt, he could not be induced to bouge from his place[…] 1603, Michel de Montaigne, “Of the batell of Dreux”, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 148:
   • Ile not budge an inch boy: Let him come, and kindly. c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 208, column 1:
   • The gender equality picture stateside can also seem bleak, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court gutting reproductive rights last summer. Women still make only 83 percent of what men do in the U.S.—a stat that has barely budged in the past 20 years. 2023 March 13, Naureen Khan, “Doug Emhoff Wants Men to Clear the Path for More Kamalas”, in Cosmopolitan:
   • I’ve been pushing this rock as hard as I can, but it won’t budge an inch.
   • Yet goals in either half from Jordi Gómez and James Perch inspired them and then, in the face of a relentless City onslaught, they simply would not budge, throwing heart, body and soul in the way of a ball which seemed destined for their net on several occasions. 2014 March 9, Jacob Steinberg, “Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals”, in The Guardian:
2. (in the negative, transitive) To move; to shift from a fixed position.
   • I’ve been pushing this rock as hard as I can, but I can’t budge it.
3. (in the negative) To yield in one’s opinions or beliefs.
   • The Minister for Finance refused to budge on the new economic rules.
   • If only I could get Ambrose to take me away somewhere! But he won't budge. 1933, Richard Curle, Corruption, page 75:
4. (Canada, Western, in the negative, qualifier:Upper Midwestern US; Indiana; Upper Midwestern US; Indiana) To cut or butt (in line); to join the front or middle rather than the back of a queue.
   • Hey, no budging! Don't budge in line!
5. (in the negative) To try to improve the spot of a decision on a sports field.

Forms

Deriveds

unbudged · budge an inch · budger · unbudging · budge the needle · budge up · budgeable

Synonyms

shift

Translations (55)

ro clinti (transitive: to move) · ro ceda (to yield in opinion) · sv vika sig (to yield in opinion) · bg помръдвам (transitive: to move) · cs hnout se (intransitive: to move) · pl poruszyć (transitive: to move) · ru тронуться (intransitive: to move) · ro renunța (to yield in opinion) · cs pohnout se (intransitive: to move) · th ขยับ (intransitive: to move) · fi hievauttaa (transitive: to move) · fr bouger (transitive: to move) · fi liikahtaa (intransitive: to move) · fi antaa periksi (to yield in opinion) · bg помръдвам се (intransitive: to move) · pl drgnąć (intransitive: to move) · pl przesunąć się (intransitive: to move) · de von der Stelle rühren (intransitive: to move) · pl przesuwać się (intransitive: to move) · pl przesunąć (transitive: to move) · ru уступить (to yield in opinion) · fi myöntyä (to yield in opinion) · de vom Fleck bewegen (intransitive: to move) · fr bouger (intransitive: to move) · bg отстъпвам (to yield in opinion) · cs pohnout (transitive: to move) · th ขยับ (transitive: to move) · pt mover-se (intransitive: to move) · de regen (intransitive: to move) · fi liikauttaa (transitive: to move) · fi antaa periksi (intransitive: to move) · uk поступи́тися (to yield in opinion) · uk зру́шитися (intransitive: to move) · ru стронуть (transitive: to move) · ru дви́гать (transitive: to move) · nl toegeven (to yield in opinion) · cs ustoupit (to yield in opinion) · ta அசை (intransitive: to move) · sv ge sig (to yield in opinion) · bg отдръпвам се (to yield in opinion) · fi hievahtaa (intransitive: to move) · ro muta (transitive: to move) · es mover (transitive: to move) · ru дви́гаться (intransitive: to move) · nl meegeven (intransitive: to move) · cs hnout (transitive: to move) · es mover (intransitive: to move) · ro clinti (intransitive: to move) · nl bewegen (transitive: to move) · nl meegaan (to yield in opinion) · ta அசை (transitive: to move) · mi ngaoko (intransitive: to move) · uk зсу́нутися (intransitive: to move) · nl bewegen (intransitive: to move) · uk зру́шити (transitive: to move)

budge en · ADJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /bʌd͡ʒ/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English bouge, bougie, bugee, from Anglo-Norman bogé, from Anglo-Latin *bogea, bulgia, related to Latin bulga (“a leathern bag or knapsack”). Doublet of bulge.

Meanings

1. (in the negative, not-comparable, obsolete) austere or stiff, like scholastics
   • Those budge doctors of the stoic fur. 1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:
   • The solemn fop; significant and budge; A fool with judges, amongst fools a judge, He says but little and that little said, 'Owes all its weight, like loaded dice, to lead. 1784, John Wesley, The Magazine of the Wesleyan Methodist Church - Volume 7, page 393:
   • "My boy looked at me very budge," i.e., solemn. 1931, The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art, page 684:

Deriveds

budge bachelor · budge barrel

budge en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /bʌd͡ʒ/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English bouge, bougie, bugee, from Anglo-Norman bogé, from Anglo-Latin *bogea, bulgia, related to Latin bulga (“a leathern bag or knapsack”). Doublet of bulge.

Meanings

1. (in the negative, uncountable) A kind of fur prepared from lambskin dressed with the wool on, formerly used as an edging and ornament, especially on scholastic habits.
   • They are become so liberal, as to part freely with their own budge-gowns from off their backs. 1649, John Milton, Observations:
   • One hundred pieces of green silk for the Knights; fourteen budge furs for surcoats; thirteen hoods of budge for clerks, and seventy furs of lamb for liveries in summer. 1787, An Historical and Chronological Deduction of the Origin of Commerce, page 282:

budge en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• /bʌd͡ʒ/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Perhaps related to booze.

Meanings

1. (in the negative, obsolete, slang, uncountable) Alcoholic drink.

Deriveds

budgy