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

The zombie-like inhabitants aren’t just nameless fodder. —Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026

The idea that the Pyramids of Egypt are so awesome they could only have been built by aliens is now a meme-able joke, fodder for Reddit debunkers and cheesy History Channel shows. —Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

Just because their deaths make for good local news fodder doesn’t mean that most of us have a special fascination with these centenarian record-holders. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026

Both cases were fodder for a media firestorm, begetting nightly news specials and full-length documentaries. —Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 22 Jan. 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