Synonyms of prodded

prodded

verb

past tense of prod

1

as in poked

to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object

kept prodding the sheep with a staff to move along faster

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poked
• stabbed
• spurred
• dug
• punched
• nudged
• goaded
• knocked
• jabbed
• drilled
• pricked
• propelled
• stuck
• bored
• punctured
• drove
• pierced
• jogged
• perforated
• chucked
• haled

2

as in urged

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

• urged
• encouraged
• nudged
• prompted
• goaded
• coaxed
• pushed
• exhorted
• spurred
• pressed
• propelled
• stimulated
• egged (on)
• cajoled
• drove
• hurried
• provoked
• implored
• hustled
• pressured
• rushed
• importuned
• beseeched
• wheedled
• nagged
• needled
• adjured
• incited
• fomented
• instigated
• stirred (up)
• blandished
• soft-soaped
• high-pressured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discouraged
• deterred
• checked
• dissuaded
• restrained
• constrained
• inhibited
• held back
• curbed
• braked

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prodded

Miller had to be prodded Monday morning to catch the bus back to the team hotel. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Even the process by which animals are herded onto the trucks is often highly stressful, with frightened animals pushed, prodded, pulled, and otherwise handled roughly. — Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 24 Oct. 2026

Builders, prodded to work beyond city limits, adopted Olmsted’s vision for what those suburbs should look like. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

She's trekked the Indian Himalayas, chanted with with Buddhist monks in Laos, chatted with a ghost in Bali and has been repeatedly poked, prodded and pummelled in the name of wellness. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026

Trump publicly prodded the Health secretary for an update on autism research in a Cabinet meeting last month. — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

And along with the documentary, you get prodded into recall again. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026

Goldfarb rhetorically asks himself when prodded for response. — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Rested during a dead-rubber loss to Turkey, Balogun returned Wednesday for the round-of-32 clash with Bosnia and prodded home the opening strike in that 2-0 triumph. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 6 July 2026