1
2
as in to urge
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action
a public outcry eventually prodded the politicians into action
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stimulus
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of prod
Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
His desire to poke, prod, and contemplate the perverse ironies of mortality is still present and accounted for, however.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
This prodded Americans away from the complacency of the post-war era and toward a more progressive and assertive attitude on everything from Civil Rights to scientific research.
—Time, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prod
Verb
Let his final earthly words be a prod to the consciences of our leaders and all mankind.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
His desire to poke, prod, and contemplate the perverse ironies of mortality is still present and accounted for, however.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
Financial integration has always and intentionally run alongside security cooperation, and U.S. policymakers have often exploited that connection to prod European politicians into accepting American strategic leadership.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
This prodded Americans away from the complacency of the post-war era and toward a more progressive and assertive attitude on everything from Civil Rights to scientific research.
—Time, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prod
Verb
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The premiere episode was a hot topic not only among viewership and the media but within the White House as Parker and Stone brutally poked fun at President Donald Trump in both animated and live-action deepfake form.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Having to spend three hours being poked and prodded and prevented from making phone calls rankled; Diamandis is an incorrigible multitasker.—
Tad Friend,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In a virtual summit with President Trump on Wednesday, European leaders urged him not to make a unilateral Ukraine peace deal during his one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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Ahead of his meeting with Putin, Trump met on Aug. 13 virtually with Zelenskyy and leaders of European countries who have urged Trump not to capitulate to Putin's demands during his solo meeting.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Will stimulus checks be sent as part of Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill?' No.—
Cailey Gleeson,
jsonline.com,
31 July 2025
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What seems clear is that by some genetic predisposition that remains invisible to us, the neural latticework designed to interpret, modulate, and respond to stimuli is prone to going haywire in some people, causing a cascade of changes that very often results in head pain.—
Tom Zeller Jr.
July 30,
Literary Hub,
30 July 2025
Verb
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And a woman’s viral saga about falling in love with her psychiatrist spurs an existential question about AI chatbots.—
Josh Feldman,
NBC news,
14 Aug. 2025
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Musk’s acceleration is only spurring forward his competitors to build their own data centers, too—and the Trump administration is cheering them on.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Those ordinary demands may encourage AI use even more.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
17 Aug. 2025
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Are there opportunities for workshops for parents? Innovation Balance: Do policies encourage responsible experimentation or only focus on restrictions?—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Promes has lodged an appeal against his conviction and is fighting an additional 18-month sentence, imposed in 2023, for stabbing his cousin.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2025
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Andrew James McGann, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher, was arrested last month, accused of stabbing Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, to death and charged with two counts of capital murder.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Overall apparel prices nudged up just 0.1% in July after rising 0.4% in June.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
12 Aug. 2025
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The National Hurricane Center’s Tuesday mid-morning forecast cone nudged the forecast track slightly south, a trend that forecasters say could continue.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The result is a misaligned affordability signal that dulls incentives to adapt and crowds out private innovation.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
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Globalization could be blamed for introducing competition from other countries with lower labor costs, putting downward pressure on manufacturing wages in the United States and creating incentives to move production abroad.—
Michael B. G. Froman,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prod. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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