fudge

UK: /ˈfʌdʒ/ US: /fʌdʒ/ ,(fuj)

Inflections of 'fudge' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

fudges

v 3rd person singular

fudging

v pres p

fudged

v past

fudged

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

fudge¹ /fʌdʒ/   n. [uncountable]

1. Food a soft candy usually made with sugar, butter, milk, and flavoring.

fudge³ /fʌdʒ/   v., fudged, fudg•ing, adj. 

1. to behave in a dishonest way;
   cheat:
   [~ + on + object] to fudge on an exam.
2. to avoid coming to grips with something;
   evade;
   dodge: [~ + on + object]
   The president began to fudge on the issue.
   [~ + object]
   He began to fudge questions.
3. [no object] to exaggerate a cost, estimate, etc., in order to allow for error.
4. to tamper with;
   falsify:
   [~ + object] to fudge the company accounts.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

fudge¹  (fuj), n. 

1. Food a soft candy made of sugar, butter, milk, chocolate, and sometimes nuts.

• 1895–1900, American; of uncertain origin, originally; the word was early in its history associated with college campuses, where fudge-making was popular; however, attempts to explain it as a derivative of fudge³ (preparing the candy supposedly being an excuse to "fudge'' on dormitory rules) are dubious and probably after-the-fact speculation

fudge²  (fuj), n., v., fudged, fudg•ing. 
n. 

1. nonsense or foolishness (often used interjectionally).

v.i. 

2. to talk nonsense.

• 1690–1700; origin, originally uncertain; compare fudge³

fudge³  (fuj), v., fudged, fudg•ing, n. 
v.i. 

1. to cheat or welsh (often fol. by on):
   to fudge on an exam; to fudge on one's campaign promises.
2. to avoid coming to grips with something:
   to fudge on an issue.
3. to exaggerate a cost, estimate, etc., in order to allow leeway for error.

v.t. 

4. to avoid coming to grips with (a subject, issue, etc.);
   evade;
   dodge:
   to fudge a direct question.

n. 

5. a small stereotype or a few lines of specially prepared type, bearing a newspaper bulletin, for replacing a detachable part of a page plate without the need to replate the entire page.
6. the bulletin thus printed, often in color.
7. a machine or attachment for printing such a bulletin.

• 1665–75; origin, originally uncertain; in earliest sense, "to contrive clumsily,'' perh. expressive variant of fadge to fit, agree, do (akin to Middle English feien to put together, join, Old English fēgan); unclear if fudge¹ and fudge² are developments of this word or independent coinages

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fudge / fʌdʒ/ noun

1. a soft variously flavoured sweet made from sugar, butter, cream, etc

Etymology: 19th Century: of unknown origin

fudge / fʌdʒ/ noun

1. foolishness; nonsense

interjection

1. a mild exclamation of annoyance

Etymology: 18th Century: of uncertain origin

fudge / fʌdʒ/ noun

1. a small section of type matter in a box in a newspaper allowing late news to be included without the whole page having to be remade
2. the late news so inserted
3. an unsatisfactory compromise reached to evade a difficult problem or controversial issue

verb

1. (transitive) to make or adjust in a false or clumsy way
2. (transitive) to misrepresent; falsify
3. to evade (a problem, issue, etc); dodge; avoid

Etymology: 19th Century: see fadge