goaded

verb

past tense of goad
1
as in urged
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action tried to goad me into auditioning for the play

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spurred
to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object goading the horse forward into the stall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of goaded Anthony provoked and goaded Metcalf, Wirskye said. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026 In the ensuing chaos, one of those two young men takes the stage, goaded on by his friend, and soon has the audience dancing to his melodies and words. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 22 May 2026 He was mocked and goaded by Callum Newman into attacking Shingo Takagi after Newman retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026 The czar, goaded by his military advisors, mobilized the Russian army knowing that meant war. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026 Trump, though never restrained, is now pure id, acting on impulse and goaded on by advisers who see an opportunity to further expand executive power. — Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026 Her ups and downs were a regular punch line on late-night talk shows, starting with her first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1985, when she was goaded into agreeing to lose 15 lbs. — Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025 Democrats saw him as a master of dark arts, beholden to his former pals in the oil industry and a warmonger who goaded the nation to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to help his benefactors. — Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Nov. 2025 In one instance, Holmes alleged, Lorch goaded Holmes into a storage room and told him to climb a ladder to a lofted space to retrieve some uniforms. — Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goaded
  1. urged
  2. spurred
  3. encouraged
  4. stabbed
  5. nudged
  6. prodded
  7. poked
  8. punched
Verb
  • Leipzig had locker room issues a few years ago, when a few players were regarded as not pulling their weight — and Schlager was one of the senior figures who challenged them and urged them to improve their mentality.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • SpaceX shares rose about 7% on Tuesday, on pace to snap a seven-session losing streak after analysts at Macquarie reiterated their outperform rating and urged investors to buy the recent weakness.
    — Yun Li, CNBC, 21 July 2026
Definition of urged
Verb
  • As massive investments in artificial intelligence and data centers have spurred demand for computing hardware, Chinese manufacturers are capitalizing on the opportunity.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • Europe’s defense sovereignty push, spurred by Washington’s retreat as the continent’s security guarantor, has hit several hurdles in recent months, including the demise of a joint German-French fighter jet project.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of spurred
Verb
  • During the pandemic boom, cheap money, soaring asset prices, and speculative demand encouraged galleries to expand rapidly—adding artists, opening new locations and building ever larger organizations.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026
  • As energy costs and demand continue to rise and the potential for significantly lower tax revenues looms, local governments need to understand that clean energy is not banned in Florida but is encouraged by state statutes.
    — Alan Byrd, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • At least two people were stabbed nearby hours after the June 30 match ended.
    — Ryan Macasero, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
  • Court records indicate Birmingham was accused of killing Lena Elrod with an electric saw and stabbed or struck Justin Elrod in the head with a metallic object.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026
Definition of stabbed
Verb
  • Turkey moved fastest, deploying troops to its base and airlifting food within days, a role that also nudged Ankara's own reading of the Gulf.
    — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • Policy makers have nudged it into reserve baskets, offered central bank swap lines, nurtured its own payment system and more.
    — Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Fortune, 17 July 2026
Definition of nudged
Verb
  • But decades later the three, prodded by Elvira, go on a quest to understand what really happened to them and their parents.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Goldfarb rhetorically asks himself when prodded for response.
    — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of prodded
Verb
  • It’s now understood that Russia in 2016 poked the election systems in all 50 states to check what protections were in place and accessed—but did not change—some very local registration rosters in Florida and Illinois.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 2026
  • The teen said Jones poked his head through the doorway, then returned to the room and continued firing before leaving the apartment.
    — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • Video shows part of arrest in Meridian Ten seconds into the initial video, the officer sitting on the man punched him, according to the footage.
    — Alex Brizee July 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 July 2026
  • Six minutes into the second half, Maradona challenged England goalkeeper Peter Shilton for a loose ball and punched it into the net with his left hand.
    — Larry Holder, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of punched

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Cite this Entry

“Goaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goaded. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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