fodder

noun

fod·​der ˈfä-dər 

1

: something fed to domestic animals

especially : coarse food for cattle, horses, or sheep

2

: inferior or readily available material used to supply a heavy demand

fodder for tabloids

This sort of breezy plot line has become cheap fodder for novelists and screenwriters …

—Sally Bedell

fodder transitive verb

Examples of fodder in a Sentence

His antics always make good fodder for the gossip columnists.

She often used her friends' problems as fodder for her novels.

Recent Examples on the Web

De Paul’s behavior was both comedic fodder and an opportunity for English and Spanish-language pundits and content creators to ridicule his lack of awareness. — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

But the coming iteration of 60 Minutes has, for better or worse, become culture war fodder, only ramping up the stakes. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Deborah Haynes covers serious stuff, like foreign affairs, national security and defense — the sorts of topics that might not make good fodder for a snarky newsletter or a hot-talk podcast. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

When 9/11 becomes content fodder A frequent entry point is the raw video of the TV coverage from the morning of the attacks. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English fōdor; akin to Old High German fuotar food — more at food

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fodder

• cannon fodder

Rhymes for fodder

• broader
• dodder
• odder
• solder
• marauder

Kids Definition

fodder

noun

fod·​der ˈfäd-ər 

: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock