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
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Recent Examples of goaded
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
Instead, he is now being goaded into the impossible retaking of land Ukraine could not get back in the summer of 2023, during a heavily prepped counter-offensive.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
His facial expressions and reactions to Lynch’s promos and her being goaded into this WrestlePalooza mixed tag team match suggest that there are more problems to come for the powerful heel duo.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In the course of the conversation, his old friend goaded him into trying his hand at womenswear.
—Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
During her trial, prosecutors said Rodriguez had goaded the officers for video views.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Instead, he is now being goaded into the impossible retaking of land Ukraine could not get back in the summer of 2023, during a heavily prepped counter-offensive.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
His facial expressions and reactions to Lynch’s promos and her being goaded into this WrestlePalooza mixed tag team match suggest that there are more problems to come for the powerful heel duo.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In the course of the conversation, his old friend goaded him into trying his hand at womenswear.
—Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
During her trial, prosecutors said Rodriguez had goaded the officers for video views.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goaded
Verb
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For their part, Chinese leaders have urged visiting nations to create fair environments for Chinese businesses operating or investing locally.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Professionals are implicitly urged to respond faster, compress the calendar and add more tracking to show work in motion.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The remark, found in a January 2016 email, has spurred negative reaction on social media.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
-
This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Still, the paper has been encouraged by early signs from its first week.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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Though it’s not required, candidates are encouraged to fill out job applications online before attending the Thunder Valley Casino job fairs.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Shot a bunch of times in the stomach, twice in the head, stabbed in the arm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But the couple's elderly dog was inside the apartment and was stabbed between the eyes, authorities said.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Las Vegas finished 28th in yards allowed during his first season in 2022 but finished 15th in 2023 and 2024 and nudged up to 14th in 2025.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Richardson appeared to grill Coleman and nudged him before shoving him into a wall, nudging him more later on.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Leader after leader prodded the Bank of Japan to cut rates.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The show’s sixth season, 2003’s The Amazon, prodded two female players to strip naked to win a peanut-butter-and-chocolate reward.—
David Canfield,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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During the winter storm, the department’s official X account went viral for a series of self-aware, tongue-in-cheek posts that poked fun at drivers, the weather and even the officers themselves.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
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Hadn’t poked my nose in anywhere, hadn’t seen anything, and just really enjoyed watching the film.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Joe Mazzulla tipped his cap to Patriots counterpart Mike Vrabel after New England punched its ticket to Super Bowl LX.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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For many, the surge in gold prices has punched a hole in their wedding budgets.—
Preeti Soni,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goaded. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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