prodded

verb

past tense of prod
1
as in poked
to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object kept prodding the sheep with a staff to move along faster

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in urged
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action a public outcry eventually prodded the politicians into action

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prodded Trump publicly prodded the Health secretary for an update on autism research in a Cabinet meeting last month. — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 And along with the documentary, you get prodded into recall again. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 Goldfarb rhetorically asks himself when prodded for response. — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Rested during a dead-rubber loss to Turkey, Balogun returned Wednesday for the round-of-32 clash with Bosnia and prodded home the opening strike in that 2-0 triumph. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 6 July 2026 Later in the second half, Olise teed up Ousmane Dembele with prodded outside-of-the-boot passes after picking up loose balls in front of the defence. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Lawyers for Julia Ormond are looking to have the court issue a bench warrant for the arrest of CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz for walking out of a deposition after being prodded about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. — Winston Cho For The Hollywood Reporter, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026 Lawyers for Julia Ormond are looking to have the court issue a bench warrant for the arrest of CAA cofounder Michael Ovitz for walking out of a deposition after being prodded about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2026 Some lawmakers openly prodded Netanyahu on Monday to move closer to the US by seeking to bolster negotiations on winding down the war. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodded
  1. poked
  2. urged
  3. stabbed
  4. encouraged
  5. spurred
  6. nudged
  7. dug
  8. punched
Verb
  • Better together Industry analysts, experts and insiders have consistently poked holes in the states' argument that the combination of TV networks would create antitrust issues.
    — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
  • So too were the buildings, including my hotel, which poked through the seven-foot-high snowbanks, looking like an ancient shipwreck covered in shifting sand.
    — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • At the start of the year, top DHS officials, including Mullin, urged lawmakers to provide funding specifically for purchasing more body cameras and training officers on how to use them.
    — Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Those with information on his whereabouts are urged to contact Ryde Police Station or Crime Stoppers.
    — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of urged
Verb
  • Two people were stabbed, one fatally, near Times Square on Monday afternoon, with responding authorities shooting and killing the female suspect, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
  • One of the two people who was stabbed also died, while the other victim was hospitalized in stable condition.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of stabbed
Verb
  • More than a decade ago, the two researchers were introduced by their mutual boss, the chancellor at UCSF, who encouraged them to collaborate.
    — Pien Huang, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
  • As Brown ramped back up this summer, he and the team were encouraged by his progress.
    — Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • Myers was outraged, believing that his initial comment that spurred police involvement was constitutionally protected free speech.
    — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The harm caused by the delays spurred immigration attorneys and advocates in the state to send a letter to Chief Judge Sul Ozerden in March about the habeas bottleneck.
    — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of spurred
Verb
  • In a normal rom-com, this is where Jack would exit stage left as the martyr who nudged Wendy toward her true soulmate.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • This nudged Bentley toward using sound made by living beings, rather than something synthesized.
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of nudged
Verb
  • And yet the nugget of knowledge from his vast experience of traversing 120 yards (110 metres) via two 60-yard lengths in a trench – dug 4ft deep and 3ft wide in a Welsh field – filled with murky, mucky river water is not a tip about technique.
    — Rob Tanner, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Days before a Times reporter visited Matson’s property, a pack of wild dogs dug under his fence and fatally mauled his only surviving adult ostrich, Bam Bam.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of dug
Verb
  • The detainee said Seenaraine punched Rodriguez in the face after guards moved him to another part of the detention center.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
  • DuBose questions the allegation that Fields’ sucker-punched his teammate.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of punched

Browse Nearby Words

prod
prodded
prodder
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Cite this Entry

“Prodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodded. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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