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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of goads
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
Noun
-
And given that such systems are physically possible, powerful economic and strategic incentives exist for technologists and entrepreneurs to build them.
-
The restrictions apply to existing single-family homes, not new construction, a carveout that preserves incentives for financial firms to invest in new housing construction, the staffer noted.
Verb
-
The plan also urges African countries to preserve former slave forts and castles as memorial sites.
-
If someone urges you to splurge, smile, breathe, and pause.
Verb
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His right-hand man, Bishop, pulls an Iago on him and stabs him in the back by emptying his bullets.
-
The shower curtain opens, revealing an old woman, who stabs and decapitates Mary.
Noun
-
All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.
-
In October 2024 ahead of her own stay at MSG, Billie Eilish recorded encouragements to take the subways for environmental benefits.
Verb
-
Rissetto encourages her patients to cut back on alcoholic beverages.
-
Reclaiming this original spirit encourages leaders to prioritize ethical conduct, the common good, and judge individuals by their actions and inherent potential, fostering inclusive and merit-based environments.
Verb
-
Supporters say the law expands options for families and spurs school improvement all around — especially in districts with subpar schools.
-
But the immune system has sensed that something is wrong, and spurs a more brute force reaction.
Noun
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One of the main impetuses for this is that newer planes are flying further, which means airline routes are getting longer.
Verb
-
The second is a vent which pokes out above your clothes, to move warm air away from you.
-
Perched on a finger of land that pokes into Lebanon, Metula is usually crowded with tourists this time of year.
Cite this Entry
“Goads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goads. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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