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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In the world of Steve King—and Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity—they're all just cannon fodder in the battle for ratings and votes and book sales.
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Before Trump ever announced his candidacy for president, right-wing publications and talking heads used the city as fodder for discussions on the lawlessness of black people.
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In retrospect, it would’ve made perfect fodder for one of these Saga games.
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Russell had damaged dozens of friendships, become Internet joke fodder and threatened his relationship with his daughter.
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At just a couple hundred pages, the book is both fodder for a complex moral and philosophical debate and a quick, engrossing read.
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The violence ISIS carries out in the West provides fodder for anti-Muslim extremists, and growing violence against Muslims feeds back into the ISIS narrative.
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There’s enough variety and fodder here to satisfy your binge-watching needs this summer and to please even the pickiest of small-screen viewers.
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Now Trump has given further fodder to Issa opponents — for a vote on what the president said was one of his priorities.
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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