Definition of fodder
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 verbIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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 of fodder from the Web
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Travel ban will be cannon fodder to the recruiters.
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Pasquesi, once recognized as Improviser of the Year at the Chicago Improv Festival, said Chicago's absurd history of political corruption is rich fodder for local performers.
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The way Ali’s life played out both inside and outside the ring has provided prime fodder for writers from the time Ali won gold in the 1960 Olympics in Rome as Cassius Clay.
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The Gurlitt trove is the fodder for the most high-profile Nazi-era provenance search.
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Letourneau is a former suburban Seattle teacher who became tabloid fodder when she was convicted in 1997 of raping the then 12-year-old Fualaau.
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It's also been used as fodder by Wasserman Schultz's lefty bête noire, Tim Canova.
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Anthony Michael Hall plays a volatile colleague of McMahon’s who seems to be based on Gen. Michael T. Flynn, whose more recent adventures may provide fodder for a sequel.
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Privacy violation scandals just don’t work as general media fodder unless there’s a bedroom window someplace.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fodder'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of fodder
Middle English, from Old English fōdor; akin to Old High German fuotar food — more at food
FODDER Defined for English Language Learners
fodder
playDefinition of fodder for English Language Learners
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: food given to horses, cows, etc.
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: material that is used for a particular purpose
FODDER Defined for Kids
fodder
playDefinition of fodder for Students
: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock
Learn More about fodder
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See words that rhyme with fodder Spanish Central: Translation of fodder Nglish: Translation of fodder for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fodder for Arabic speakers
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