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
-
The intuitive Moon squares Saturn, pitting your 3rd House of Distractions against your 6th House of Pragmatism, urging specific words, meticulous timing, and sensible boundaries.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The rest of the team departed Sydney Tuesday for Malaysia, arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where video posted to social media showed members of the Iranian community urging them not to return to Iran.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But even before that, there were questions and media folks, like myself and others, were poking these questions about the president's former president's acuity and age and how much that was affecting his decision making or ability to run a campaign and even be President of the United States.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The villains in this TikTok trend are clear, with most of the videos poking fun at narcissistic, annoying, or outright delusional people that just seem to be an inescapable part of life these days.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Moon, planet of emotions, soars into your 9th House of Philosophy today, encouraging you to explore ideas, cultures, or beliefs that soften sharp edges.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The program is designed to foster stronger connections at the local level, encouraging neighbors to communicate, collaborate and celebrate one another.—
Chuck Page,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The demands are so big that in many cases, the industry’s giants are in some cases shutting the gates, further raising worries and spurring the hunger to flee.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Tax relief and deregulation were spurring the economy.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That motivation wasn’t the product of his famous father nudging him.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Your 4th House of Family receives support as sensual Venus sextiles unearthing Pluto in your logical 2nd house, nudging you to refresh your routines and polish your living space.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, the White House appears to be prodding Iranian reformers to step forward to put their nation on a more sustainable course.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The city has played a role in prodding investment with land sales and grants.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After Jalloh started shooting, multiple students attacked him, with one of them stabbing him, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
-
He was first convicted of manslaughter in 1974 for reportedly stabbing his stepfather to death in Sydney.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More teams are punching their tickets to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday as the major conference’s compete for championships.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Mater Dei goalkeeper Nate Enriquez made two saves by punching the ball far away from the goal with his fists.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goading. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
