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
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
Villaraigosa’s steamy personal life, including an affair with a TV reporter and subsequent divorce from his wife in 2007, were regular fodder for headlines during his tenure as mayor from 2005 to 2013.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
The evidence The terms wilding and wolf pack would become headline fodder as the city and nation tried to come to terms with what was depicted as a gang rape in which one Hispanic and four Black teenagers took turns assaulting Meili, crushed her skull, and left her bleeding out in the park.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
It's given Democrats more fodder on the campaign trail this year.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
No angry sports talk radio fodder waiting to explode the next morning.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fodder
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Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
The evidence The terms wilding and wolf pack would become headline fodder as the city and nation tried to come to terms with what was depicted as a gang rape in which one Hispanic and four Black teenagers took turns assaulting Meili, crushed her skull, and left her bleeding out in the park.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
It's given Democrats more fodder on the campaign trail this year.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
No angry sports talk radio fodder waiting to explode the next morning.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fodder
Cite this Entry
“Fodder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fodder. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fodder
noun
fod·der
ˈfäd-ər 
: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock
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