I.
noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ brief , little , quick , slight , small
▪ curt , perfunctory , terse
▪
He dismissed them with a curt ~.
▪ approving , satisfied
▪
She inspected my work and gave a satisfied ~.
▪ reassuring
▪ knowing
▪ passing ( figurative )
▪
The house is white, in a passing ~ to Greek tradition.
▪
He gave a passing ~ (= a brief acknowledgement) to the show that had launched his career.
VERB + NOD
▪ give (sb)
▪
My teacher gave me a ~ of reassurance and I began.
▪ get , receive
▪
He's ready to play and just waiting to get the ~ from ( = be approved by ) the coach.
▪ exchange
▪ wait for
PREPOSITION
▪ at a ~ , with a ~
▪ ~ from
▪
At a ~ from Lawton, he gently turned the handle.
▪ ~ in the direction of , ~ of
▪
a ~ of approval
▪ ~ to , ~ towards/toward
▪
‘I couldn't have done this alone,’ he said with a ~ towards/toward his partner.
PHRASES
▪ a ~ of sb's/the head
▪
She answered with a slight ~ of the head.
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ just , merely , only , simply
▪
Ashamed, I could only ~.
▪ emphatically , furiously , vigorously
▪
‘That's exactly it,’ she said, nodding vigorously.
▪ gently
▪
She nodded gently to herself.
▪ almost imperceptibly , slightly
▪ slowly
▪ quickly
▪ briefly , briskly , curtly , stiffly
▪
He nodded curtly and walked away.
▪ dumbly , mutely , silently , wordlessly
▪
She could not speak but just nodded mutely.
▪ absently , absent-mindedly , vaguely
▪
He nodded absently, his mind obviously on other things.
▪ politely , respectfully
▪ eagerly , happily
▪ knowingly , sympathetically , understandingly
▪ appreciatively , approvingly , encouragingly , enthusiastically , gratefully
▪ hesitantly , reluctantly
▪ meekly , weakly
▪ grimly
▪ glumly , miserably , sadly
▪ gravely , sagely , seriously , solemnly , thoughtfully
▪
She nodded sagely as she listened.
PREPOSITION
▪ at
▪
They nodded at us, so we nodded back.
▪ in
▪
She nodded in agreement.
▪ to
▪
She nodded to Duncan as she left.
▪ towards/toward
▪
‘Let's go!’ he said, nodding towards/toward the door.
▪ with
▪
He nodded with satisfaction.
Nod is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ head
Nod is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ acknowledgement , ↑ agreement , ↑ approval , ↑ assent , ↑ consent , ↑ greeting , ↑ head , ↑ thanks