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
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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
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Recent Examples of goading
So, does Roan deserve all the credit for softening the nature of these carpets, where dozens of photographers gather to scream goading or even offensive remarks at talent just to get their attention?
—
Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goading
Verb
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With Basic, Devantez delivers a love letter to millennial angst, urging those who are lost to put down their screens and find themselves before judging others.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
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Have every county and city elected official hard at work explaining to their constituents what is at stake —- and urging them to contact legislators in a mass public message of condemnation.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Common themes range from poking fun at the deputies' appearances (comparing them to Family Guy's Peter Griffin and Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame) to more serious allegations of extramarital affairs and pedophilia amongst department members.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
-
Let soak, encouraging sand and soil to sink, before removing.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
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The Cubs are encouraging Taillon to really push his intensity level on his bullpen days but then hardly throw the following day, instead focusing on just moving around and being athletic.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Obesity rates skyrocketed in the United States over the next few decades, spurring a 2016 change to the rule to list calorie counts on nutrition labels in a large, bold font.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
-
An overhaul of public higher education is spurring concerns about an exodus of the best and brightest faculty in Texas.—
Milla Surjadi,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the past 24 hours, surface winds have shifted to the south, not only helping to boost temperatures after the unseasonably cold start to the week but also nudging up humidity and dew point temps, which should diminish the wildfire threat heading into Thursday.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
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Snap decisions may become necessary with this Moon-Mercury conjunction in your 10th House of Motivation, nudging you to name your goal and take that next step.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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The city has played a role in prodding investment with land sales and grants.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Corona Police shot and killed a man accused of stabbing a woman to death inside an apartment Thurday morning.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
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And a condition in which people experience unpleasant skin sensations such as burning, stabbing or a feeling like an electrical shock occurred in about 23% of those taking the higher dose of Wegovy versus 6% of those taking the lower dose and less than 1% in people who received a placebo.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 18-year-old was taken off the oval in 2022 for allegedly punching a high school classmate in the groin, leading to a felony charge that was reduced to a misdemeanor before eventually being dropped.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
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In early January 2025, police were called to the Aliquippa VFW when Ours was accused of repeatedly punching and strangling another man, later identified as Preston Coleman.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goading. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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