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

Among other things, Gray quipped about how his wife and kids really provide no fodder for stories. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026

There’s eventually a backlash to the backlash, a revision-to-reappreciation arc, and a resurrection as nostalgia-bait reboot fodder. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026

The yen surged against a weaker dollar after an unexpectedly soft US payrolls report on Friday, offering the latest fodder for speculation that authorities could intervene in the Japanese currency again. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

Speculation about a wig has seemingly increased as the president has aged and his hair has thinned, with public appearances over the years where his hair is blown by the wind becoming fodder for jokes about it. — Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 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