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
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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
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
Verb
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Officials in Hood County, Texas, for example, rejected a proposal for a six-month moratorium after a state senator urged the Texas attorney general to intervene and prevent the measure.—
Rachel Mural,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
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Van Diggelen urged her colleagues to be open to diverse conversations and understand that men and women operate differently.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
But algorithms and online outrage have spurred a political factionalism.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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This success has spurred WWE officials to advocate for a significant push for Gable, with strong support for a prominent role at SummerSlam 2026 in his hometown.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Making the leap to full-time guiding came after long hours and a pivotal conversation with his wife, his biggest supporter and accountability partner, who encouraged him to pursue life around his most consuming obsession.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 June 2026
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In the news release, the Sheriff’s Office encouraged the public to wear proper safety equipment and to wear personal floatation devices while on the water.—
Velvet Wu
June 21,
Sacbee.com,
21 June 2026
Verb
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The latest homicide was reported on Tuesday after a man was stabbed in the 400 block of South San Joaquin Street in Downtown Stockton.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
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With that knife, Bland stabbed her husband in the head and neck — and, afterward, sliced her teenage daughter in the forearm as the teen tried to get Emii from Bland, the report says.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Verb
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Workers who get nudged into saving, save.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
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Forecasters nudged up their growth outlook, lowered the probability of recession from 33% in April to 25%, and reduced their expectations for the unemployment rate.—
Steve Liesman,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Lawyers for Julia Ormond are looking to have the court issue a bench warrant for the arrest of CAA cofounder Michael Ovitz for walking out of a deposition after being prodded about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
23 June 2026
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Some lawmakers openly prodded Netanyahu on Monday to move closer to the US by seeking to bolster negotiations on winding down the war.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Griffin also poked at the cohosts in the immediate aftermath of Hasselbeck and former View moderator Rosie O'Donnell's legendary on-air fight in 2007, as Griffin was a guest host the following day and brought up the incident numerous times — which annoyed Walters in the moment.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
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Late in the third, the Knights seemed to retake the lead after Pavel Dorofeyev poked home a loose puck.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Algeria turned up the pressure in the second half and had multiple shots on goal that Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila punched away, but a corner kick in the 69th minute proved to be the Jordanian keeper’s kryptonite.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
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At least in comparison to Gragson being punched by Ross Chastain at the Kansas Speedway three years ago.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goaded. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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