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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goaded
Verb
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The Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, who served as the European Council’s president, urged maximum understanding for Zelensky.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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Just a few months earlier, Kelly had also urged the City Council to reject a three-story housing project that was planned on I Street near McKinley Park.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But just the fact that the movie is getting a theatrical release has spurred celebration on social media, with fans of the genre noting that a rom-com with Black leads had not hit the big screen since 2012’s Think Like a Man.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Apr. 2026
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The horrific discovery spurred a wider search on Long Island over the following year – nearly a dozen bodies were found in all – and raised fears of a serial killer on the loose.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But a close reading of the filing encouraged certain inferences.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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The city says residents are encouraged to report feral hog sightings, but says animal services is unable to trap or remove them.—
Briseida Holguin,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Initial reports indicated that the teenager had been stabbed during a fight near Bess Race Elementary School and had non-life threatening injuries.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
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Roughly four minutes later, Brown allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed her three times from behind before departing the train.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Sunday, stops were hard to come by with Flagg scoring almost at will (14 for 27 from the field, 15 for 17 at the free-throw line), and the Lakers’ responses never nudged the needle in their favor.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
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Juvenile whales gently nudged the calf and kept it close to the mother.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Learning cannot be condensed into an accelerated course, shoehorned into a semester calendar, rushed and prodded along.—
Peter Wayne Moe,
Longreads,
26 Mar. 2026
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Some sob when prodded by a fork, others are straight up devoured.—
Joe Wilkins Published Mar 12,
Futurism,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wrencher said Russell once tied her to a chair, poked her with a knife, and threatened to burn the house down, the son said.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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Both characteristics were on full display when Drasner hit the local airwaves with a television commercial that promoted The News and poked fun at one of its upstart rivals.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The pair were arguing when the passenger punched the victim in the face, splitting his lip, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Until Levee, punched once too often, punches back.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goaded. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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