1
as in urging
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poking
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 goading
Reporters looking to stir up trouble in the press room were goading American players, particularly those with foreign-sounding last names.
—
Beth Herman, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Julian and Neil take to goading and championing the understandably hangdog Matt.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
Agents made several arrests in supermarket parking lots and at tamale stands while goading angry residents who confronted them and threatening to unleash tear gas.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
The mind thrills to imagine a genderless prophet among the brocades and buckskin breeches of Revolutionary America, weirding out the normies, sticking a flower in the barrel of a musket, and goading the new nation to let its hair down—literally.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Anthropic’s Claude wanted to know whether my headache was tension-related, due to sinus pressure, or something else entirely—hardly a goading question.
—Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
Christiaan Verbeek’s score is highly effective, ranging from ominous passages propelled by drums and goading percussion to turbulent strings steadily cranked up in intensity.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Beth Herman, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Julian and Neil take to goading and championing the understandably hangdog Matt.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
Agents made several arrests in supermarket parking lots and at tamale stands while goading angry residents who confronted them and threatening to unleash tear gas.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
The mind thrills to imagine a genderless prophet among the brocades and buckskin breeches of Revolutionary America, weirding out the normies, sticking a flower in the barrel of a musket, and goading the new nation to let its hair down—literally.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Anthropic’s Claude wanted to know whether my headache was tension-related, due to sinus pressure, or something else entirely—hardly a goading question.
—Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
Christiaan Verbeek’s score is highly effective, ranging from ominous passages propelled by drums and goading percussion to turbulent strings steadily cranked up in intensity.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goading
Verb
-
This is where the tension between the agency and legislators comes from, as lawmakers are urging a faster shift.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Several people spoke during public comment on the agenda item, all urging the school board to reject Senate Bill 11.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
It’s also built specifically for down jackets to keep the fill from poking through.—
Maggie Slepian,
Outside,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Coogan was poking fun at tech companies’ impulse to name themselves after myths and parables, even when those myths and cultural artifacts have negative associations.—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The bill contains provisions encouraging local and state governments to build more housing.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Mar. 2026
-
There is a lot of change happening on the home front, encouraging you to remodel parts of your dwelling.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Fears have spread in the market that rapidly developing artificial intelligence models will soon disrupt an array of traditional business models, spurring a sell-off at various times this year in software-as-a-service providers, insurance services, logistics and real estate stocks.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The company would make whole seasons of shows available for streaming, spurring consumers to watch for hours on end and leading observers to label it binge-watching.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Small fixes prevent messes as information-gathering Mercury turns retrograde in your 6th House of Wellness, nudging you to refine routines and rest your body and mind.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Impassioned Mars in your sign sextiles vulnerable Chiron in your 3rd House of Correspondence, nudging you to assert your needs.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The city has played a role in prodding investment with land sales and grants.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
-
There are close-ups of hands kneading dough, a snail sliming its way up a window and Cathy prodding a jellied fish with her finger.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Jones, of Joliet, said his testimony helped convict Joseph Czuba, a Plainfield landlord who was found guilty last year in the stabbing death of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, a Palestinian American boy who was targeted because of his race and religion.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Three of the stabbing victims were dead at the scene and another died while being taken to a hospital.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But in the background, financial markets keep punching above their weight.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Newhuis is accused of later returning and assaulting the manager by punching him multiple times, police said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goading. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
