nod

[nod] /nɒd/
verb (used without object), nodded, nodding.
1.
to make a slight, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, or command.
2.
to let the head fall slightly forward with a sudden, involuntary movement when sleepy.
3.
to doze, especially in a sitting position:
The speaker was so boring that half the audience was nodding.
4.
to become careless, inattentive, or listless; make an error or mistake through lack of attention.
5.
(of trees, flowers, plumes, etc.) to droop, bend, or incline with a swaying motion.
verb (used with object), nodded, nodding.
6.
to bend (the head) in a short, quick downward movement, as of assent or greeting.
7.
to express or signify by such a movement of the head:
to nod approval; to nod agreement.
8.
to summon, bring, or send by a nod of the head.
9.
to cause (something) to lean or sway; incline.
noun
10.
a short, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, or command or because of drowsiness.
11.
a brief period of sleep; nap.
12.
a bending or swaying movement.
Verb phrases
13.
nod off, to fall asleep or doze, especially in a sitting position:
He was reprimanded for nodding off in class.
14.
nod out, Slang. to fall asleep, especially owing to the effects of a drug.
Idioms
15.
give the nod to, Informal. to express approval of; agree to:
The board gave the nod to the new proposal.
16.
on the nod,
  1. British Slang. on credit.
  2. Slang. drowsy following a dose of a narcotic drug.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English nodde, of uncertain origin
Related forms
nodder, noun
noddingly, adverb
unnodding, adjective
Synonyms
3. drowse.

Nod

[nod] /nɒd/
noun
1.
the land east of Eden where Cain went to dwell. Gen. 4:16.
2.
land of Nod.
Examples from the web for nod
  • He could make a detective with a nod of his head, or have somebody's brother-in-law transferred.
  • Levin gave a nod to the intangibles of a college education-what an education can do for one's soul or happiness in life.
  • Their paper reveals that there is much more to eliciting a nod than simply lowering the pitch of the voice and pausing.
  • Dark flow was named in a nod to dark energy and dark matter-two other unexplained astrophysical phenomena.
  • The rich hue is a nod to the traditional barn color.
  • Last year the government gave the nod to a workshop that looked into changing the penal code.
  • We may nod sympathetically while telling ourselves that nothing needs to change.
  • Outdoorsy residents and local cowpokes stroll these sidewalks and nod their hellos.
  • It always seems a little touchy asking about salaries prior to the nod.
  • The tilt is reckoned to be better for catching solar rays, but it is also meant to be a nod to history.
British Dictionary definitions for nod

nod

/nɒd/
verb nods, nodding, nodded
1.
to lower and raise (the head) briefly, as to indicate agreement, invitation, etc
2.
(transitive) to express or indicate by nodding: she nodded approval
3.
(transitive) to bring or direct by nodding: she nodded me towards the manager's office
4.
(intransitive) (of flowers, trees, etc) to sway or bend forwards and back
5.
(intransitive) to let the head fall forward through drowsiness; be almost asleep: the old lady sat nodding by the fire
6.
(intransitive) to be momentarily inattentive or careless: even Homer sometimes nods
7.
nodding acquaintance, a slight, casual, or superficial knowledge (of a subject or a person)
noun
8.
a quick down-and-up movement of the head, as in assent, command, etc: she greeted him with a nod
9.
a short sleep; nap See also land of Nod
10.
a swaying motion, as of flowers, etc, in the wind
11.
(informal) on the nod
  1. agreed, as in a committee meeting, without any formal procedure
  2. (formerly) on credit
12.
(boxing, informal) the nod, the award of a contest to a competitor on the basis of points scored
See also nod off, nod out
Derived Forms
nodding, adjective, noun
Word Origin
C14 nodde, of obscure origin
Word Origin and History for nod
v.

"to quickly bow the head," late 14c., of unknown origin, probably an Old English word, but not recorded; perhaps related to Old High German hnoton "to shake," from Proto-Germanic *khnudojanan. Meaning "to drift in and out of consciousness while on drugs" is attested from 1968. Related: Nodded; nodding. A nodding acquaintance (1711) is one you know just well enough to greet with a nod.

n.

mid-15c., from nod (v.). Land of Nod "sleep" is a pun on the biblical place name (Gen. iv:16).

Slang definitions & phrases for nod

nod

verb

To be intoxicated with narcotics to a very drowsy or stuporous state: with slews of rich kids nodding in the Scarsdale woods

[1960s+ Narcotics; the underlying sense, ''let the head fall forward when drowsy,'' is found by 1562]


nod in the Bible

exile; wandering; unrest, a name given to the country to which Cain fled (Gen.4:16). It lay on the east of Eden.

Idioms and Phrases with nod

nod

In addition to the idiom beginning with nod also see: get the nod