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

Rather than reduce the father-son relationship to fodder for Nebraska’s songs or overall mood, Cooper positions it as the primary issue of Springsteen’s life at the time and the source of a depression that grows more and more crippling as the film unfolds. —Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025

The book, probably still my pick as King’s scariest novel if not his best, is overpacked with additional flashbacks and interludes that could have been fodder for multiple seasons of television. —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025

Such was the fodder that head coach Dave Canales answered to Wednesday. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2025

Oliver Park’s directorial debut is based on the Jewish folktale about the female demon Abyzou, which (believe it or not) happens to be perfect fodder for a horror film set at a Hasidic funeral home in Brooklyn. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025

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