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

The surname is at odds with a novel like Love Days, wherein nothing is wasted—Ettie’s own life providing fodder for plot and character. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026

The movie’s heady content — Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the title role as a high-schooler who discovers the philosophy of time travel alongside his responsibility to change fate — provided endless fodder for late-night discussions, sober or otherwise. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Any incremental update to his status was fodder for pre-game questions even with a playoff series on the line. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

But the film hardly even merits such empty pastiche, and there’s little else to distinguish it from much cheap-and-cheerful streaming fodder in this genre space. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 30 Sep. 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