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
The trial provided a stream of media fodder Down Under.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
With those guardrails in place, Evelyn’s social media presence feels less like fodder for armchair child psychologists and more like a creative outlet for a young woman with a flair for performance and a strong point of view.
—Dianna Mazzone Singh, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024
Major news events — like the pandemic, natural disasters and mass shootings — now consistently serve as fodder for fringe figures, many of them on the far right, to amplify their world views that often feature shadowy cabals or major unseen threats.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Screenshots and copies of the complaint spread far and wide became fodder for the already overwhelming fire of scornful messages and posts towards the women, a lawyer for one of the women says.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
In at least one instance, the controversies surrounding Chevron in Ecuador inspired fodder for the Standard back in Richmond.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Or maybe the fostering conversation is just more fodder, content blocks that the algorithm gobbles up.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Major news events — like the pandemic, natural disasters and mass shootings — now consistently serve as fodder for fringe figures, many of them on the far right, to amplify their world views, which often feature shadowy cabals or major unseen threats.
—NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Any move Lopez makes that's even remotely cringey will be fodder for the vultures.
—USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
With those guardrails in place, Evelyn’s social media presence feels less like fodder for armchair child psychologists and more like a creative outlet for a young woman with a flair for performance and a strong point of view.
—Dianna Mazzone Singh, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024
Major news events — like the pandemic, natural disasters and mass shootings — now consistently serve as fodder for fringe figures, many of them on the far right, to amplify their world views that often feature shadowy cabals or major unseen threats.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Screenshots and copies of the complaint spread far and wide became fodder for the already overwhelming fire of scornful messages and posts towards the women, a lawyer for one of the women says.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
In at least one instance, the controversies surrounding Chevron in Ecuador inspired fodder for the Standard back in Richmond.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Or maybe the fostering conversation is just more fodder, content blocks that the algorithm gobbles up.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Major news events — like the pandemic, natural disasters and mass shootings — now consistently serve as fodder for fringe figures, many of them on the far right, to amplify their world views, which often feature shadowy cabals or major unseen threats.
—NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Any move Lopez makes that's even remotely cringey will be fodder for the vultures.
—USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fodder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fodder
Cite this Entry
“Fodder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fodder. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fodder
noun
fod·der
ˈfäd-ər 
: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock
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