PRODDING Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

prodding

verb

present participle of prod

as in poking

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

Relevance

as in urging

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 prodding The defense kept prodding James to tell more about the Compton gang war, the hatred between both sides, what really happened on that night in Las Vegas. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026 But the forces prodding Shin to boost rates are increasingly affecting Fed policy decisions. — William Pesek, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026 But economic and political pressures, both domestic and international, have been prodding policymakers to rethink the path and the pace of getting there. — Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026 The White House also couldn’t resist prodding Swift when the singer married Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, unleashing a series of memes on the day of the wedding in July. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026 While a prodding journalist like me might try to get the chatbots to veer off course, the ordinary user probably won’t notice a difference. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Renowned Chilean filmmaker Valeria Sarmiento has a long history of prodding at memory in her films. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 9 July 2026 Payton now will be in the Parcells role, a Super Bowl-winning coach with an endless reservoir of experience pushing and prodding a young assistant with clear potential and the edge that comes with it. — Joseph Person, New York Times, 24 June 2026 The steady march of progress, as demonstrated by these latest research papers, is prodding organizations with the most to lose to err on the side of Q Day—the day a cryptographically relevant quantum computer arrives—coming sooner rather than later. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodding

Verb

My physical study, on the floor, poking at what was there in the open field of the air, led to newfound levels of learning to process, in poems on the page, where my initial feelings of hunger came from.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
In a recent interview with OutKick Dropkick, Hefner was already poking the bear in hopes of getting eyes on his event.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of poking

Verb

Later in the festival, around 20 filmmakers, among them directors Chung Ji-young and Lee Myung-se, held a press conference in Busan urging politicians to stop using the film as a political weapon and to leave its judgment to audiences.

— Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Hundreds of mourners later gathered at Rehman Baba cemetery for mass funeral prayers as grief gripped the neighborhood and announcements echoed from mosque loudspeakers, urging residents to join in prayers for those killed.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of urging

Verb

Kaeding also said the inspiration for the latest collection came from finding pieces in vintage stores and digging through bins.

— Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Limestone bluffs, dramatic plaza entrances Notable, construction will include digging a 90-foot hole and sculpting the stadium site out of the ground’s limestone.

— Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of digging

Verb

Anti-Trumpers in Wichita are encouraging folks to attend the next No Kings Nationwide Day of Action on Saturday as a sort of rally warm-up.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
But in his statement Hannan argued labor and environmentalists aren’t stopping development, just encouraging it be done safely.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraging

Verb

Bernardeau’s character, Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, was a real person — an activist and actor who’d been Lorca’s romantic partner before the poet’s 1936 assassination by Franco’s forces, spurring Rodríguez Rapún to fight the fascists.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
The tournament also aims to give high-level, meaningful competition for club teams, while spurring player development.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of spurring

Verb

On April 21, 2023, Garr was walking up Bridge Street in Drexel Hill when police said Weh brutally attacked him, stabbing and slashing the 15-year-old 11 times.

— Joe Holden, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
The 40-foot homemade boat was overloaded with 64 people, who panicked and jumped overboard after De La Rosa began stabbing people, a Homeland Security Investigations criminal complaint states.

— David Goodhue October 12, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of stabbing

Verb

The episode never aired, but in copies of the footage that have been re-uploaded online, Jones can be seen goading Scott Amedure, a 32-year-old gay man, about his crush on his 24-year-old straight friend, Jonathan Schmitz.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Aug. 2026
His Dahl is constantly goading people, driving them right up to the edge of their tolerance.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026

Definition of goading

Browse Nearby Words

prodders

prodding

prodigal

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Style

“Prodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodding. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prodding

verb

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