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
His Dahl is constantly goading people, driving them right up to the edge of their tolerance.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goading
Verb
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The United States declared Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention earlier in March, urging the Taliban to release Coyle and other hostages.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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The tension escalated when Carolyn received a frantic call from her sister, Lauren Bessette (Sydney Lemmon), urging her to turn on the TV.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But rather than big Hawaiian swells, these waves were the crashing sounds of social media users poking fun at the look of the upcoming Disney film.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
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His father came around the corner in time to see his arms poking up above the rim, a cartoon character in need of rescue.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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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Your 9th House of Expansion is energized by Venus and Chiron aligning, nudging you to choose growth over perfection in an expanding field.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
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But that respite was short-lived, with the price of Brent crude, the international standard, nudging back over $100 a barrel Tuesday, up nearly 40% since the war started.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And six years later, Donovan is still prodding and cajoling the forward to crash the boards and control his dribble and contribute physically to the game.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Some say his solo effort against Manchester City in 2021 was the pinnacle, when the winger waltzed past one of the best defenses in the world before prodding his shot into the side-netting.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two teenagers are facing charges in connection to a Hackensack, New Jersey, stabbing that sent one of them to the hospital.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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According to Prescott, Walker appeared intent on stabbing the policeman before he was shot.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Furthermore, the lawsuit contends that while LaBeouf’s attorneys were still aggressively pursuing their position and seeking monetary compensation from Barnett, a partying LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans on assault charges for allegedly punching two bar patrons.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
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Everyone should be protecting their skulls 200 percent more in this situation and ideally also not punching each other.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goading. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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