Budge
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·1 syllable ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A kind of fur prepared from lambskin dressed with the wool on, formerly used as an edging and ornament, especially on scholastic habits. uncountable
"They are become so liberal, as to part freely with their own budge-gowns from off their backs."
- 2 Alcoholic drink. obsolete, slang, uncountable
- 1 To move; to be shifted from a fixed position. intransitive
"I’ve been pushing this rock as hard as I can, but it won’t budge an inch."
- 2 move very slightly wordnet
- 3 To move; to shift from a fixed position. transitive
"I’ve been pushing this rock as hard as I can, but I can’t budge it."
- 4 To yield in one’s opinions or beliefs.
"The Minister for Finance refused to budge on the new economic rules."
- 5 To cut or butt (in line); to join the front or middle rather than the back of a queue. Canada, Western
"Hey, no budging! Don't budge in line!"
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- 6 To try to improve the spot of a decision on a sports field.
- 1 austere or stiff, like scholastics not-comparable, obsolete
"Those budge doctors of the stoic fur."
- 1 A surname.
Example
More examples"She will not budge an inch no matter what anyone says."
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.
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.
Perhaps related to booze.
English (mainly Anglo-Norman) surname, from Norman bouoche (“mouth”).
Related phrases
More for "budge"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.