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

What elevates the greatest album of all time above more standard fodder for pregames and parking-lot smoke seshes is the neon current of romance running beneath its songs. — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

More recently, with the rise of social media, comics have flagged major influencers and brands for repurposing their jokes as social media fodder without credit. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

During the arguments, Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical that plan sponsors' investment choices should provide easy fodder for litigious individuals. — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

The plant is also widely cultivated as a fodder crop for livestock. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 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