goads 1 of 2

noun

plural of goad
as in incentives
something that arouses action or activity the threat of skin cancer—not to mention the prospect of wrinkles—should be sufficient goad for using sunscreen

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

goads

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of goad
1
as in urges
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action tried to goad me into auditioning for the play

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stabs
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 goads
Noun
To Robin Wright’s multimillionaire gallery owner Laura, her son’s new girlfriend is a sleazy opportunist, a gold digger who lies about her academic and professional credentials and goads Laura by going down on Daniel (Laurie Davidson) in Laura’s house with the door open. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
In the episode's climactic bridge showdown, the tone shifts to another '90s classic, as Jim Kirk goads Reeger into a confession about the Constitution scandal. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026 When the two wind up at a random Easter brunch, Winfried goads Ines into karaoke. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026 The protagonist then goads him into drinking enough to agree to spending the afternoon at her lake house. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 5 Mar. 2026 Using her charm offensive, Hedda goads naive spouses to cheat, recovering alcoholics to drink and depressives to wander off into the darkness with a revolver. — Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025 Dawn goads Joe about Ted, suggesting that Joe’s late father, who was also sheriff, would have taken action. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025 Reynolds goads Miller by sending a photo of himself getting cozy with Sophia, and in a moment both lurid and laughable, the prisoner visualizes the two of them getting naked and going at it right outside the cell. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goads
  1. incentives
  2. urges
  3. stabs
  4. encouragements
  5. encourages
  6. spurs
  7. impetuses
  8. pokes
Noun
  • Commercial incentives persist Koh said shipping companies around the world have continued looking for opportunities to navigate the Strait since the conflict erupted, with some operators prepared to accept higher risks and costs.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • These changes would reduce costs, free up management bandwidth and improve IPO formation incentives.
    — Jeff Jacobs, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of incentives
Verb
  • Vision is ready to hare off after Thomas at that point, but Jarvis urges him to control his emotions.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Brem urges you to advocate for yourself at the doctor's office.
    — Norah O'Donnell, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of urges
Verb
  • The sequence culminates in the Great Hall, where Ned kicks part of his broken cane to Colum, who stabs MacKinney in the leg.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabs
Noun
  • Many folks send encouragements toward OP mom and her son, while others put heat on the other parents for sexualizing their kids’ friendship.
    — DeVonne Goode, Parents, 26 July 2026
  • All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.
    — Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Definition of encouragements
Verb
  • Applied to a solo outing, that approach encourages diners to appreciate the meal in front of them instead of scrolling through their phones.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Jordan says a recent guideline change encourages doctors to diagnose and treat sooner based on symptoms.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of encourages
Verb
  • Supporters point to consistent growth in America’s technology sector as proof that employing foreign skilled workers spurs overall productivity, and is a net benefit to the American economy.
    — Laina Gustafson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The climate pattern typically emerges every two to seven years and is marked by the heating of ocean waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which spurs changes in the atmosphere that can affect weather around the world.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of spurs
Noun
  • One of the main impetuses for this is that newer planes are flying further, which means airline routes are getting longer.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 June 2025
Definition of impetuses
Verb
  • And yet there’s this piece in the policy which pokes its head [and forces them to find a surrogate in Texas].
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The International Kazoo Championship pokes a little fun at the rigidity of the main stage.
    — David Alm, Longreads, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of pokes

Browse Nearby Words

goading
goads
go-ahead
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Cite this Entry

“Goads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goads. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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