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

Yet long before the issue of fraud became a galvanizing issue for the right — and fodder for conservative influencers — federal prosecutors in Minnesota had zeroed in on Bock. —Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026

The murders of three tourists in Kissimmee over the weekend has now become fodder for Florida’s attorney general to again attack Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell, claiming her office botched an earlier case against the suspect. —Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026

Vice President Kamala Harris’s own mixed record on immigration was fodder for Republicans. —Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026

To bad actors, the grim reality on the ground in Minneapolis is simply fodder for low-effort memes and propagandistic distortions, curated for clicks and boosted visibility. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 17 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