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
Relevance
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 prodded
That revelation prodded insurgents in British possessions from Ireland to Sierra Leone to take to the streets to assert their own ambitions for economic and political autonomy over the decades to come.
—
Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
What ensues is a twisty mystery that is, per The Hollywood Reporter‘s review, poked and prodded at from all angles.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
At a local bar, Police Chief Clint Bowers is being prodded to arrest him, lack of evidence be damned.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
When prodded about the inevitable backlash to his more expensive proposals, Mamdani shrugged.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
After Kempes opened the scoring with a clever sliding finish past the advancing Jan Jongbloed, Argentine goalkeeper Fillol was caught too wide for Dick Nanninga’s headed equaliser, and was similarly too far out when Dutch forward Rob Rensenbrink prodded against the post in stoppage time.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
That meant Hufanga spent a good chunk of the offseason not just learning a new system, but getting poked and prodded by his new coaches and running mate Jones.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
The brewery company lost a financial partner recently, a departure that prodded the partners to embark on the complete shutdown of the business and the dismissal of all its workers.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
As much as analyst Jessica Reif Erlich prodded, Woodbury declined to give numbers of any sort for Epic post-launch.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
What ensues is a twisty mystery that is, per The Hollywood Reporter‘s review, poked and prodded at from all angles.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
At a local bar, Police Chief Clint Bowers is being prodded to arrest him, lack of evidence be damned.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
When prodded about the inevitable backlash to his more expensive proposals, Mamdani shrugged.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
After Kempes opened the scoring with a clever sliding finish past the advancing Jan Jongbloed, Argentine goalkeeper Fillol was caught too wide for Dick Nanninga’s headed equaliser, and was similarly too far out when Dutch forward Rob Rensenbrink prodded against the post in stoppage time.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
That meant Hufanga spent a good chunk of the offseason not just learning a new system, but getting poked and prodded by his new coaches and running mate Jones.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
The brewery company lost a financial partner recently, a departure that prodded the partners to embark on the complete shutdown of the business and the dismissal of all its workers.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
As much as analyst Jessica Reif Erlich prodded, Woodbury declined to give numbers of any sort for Epic post-launch.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodded
Verb
-
Whoopi Goldberg, Emily Blunt and Natasha Lyonne were among the stars expressing their outrage, while Ryan Reynolds poked fun at Tilly in his new Mint Mobile ad.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Low branches poked at the roof of our boat and brushed our arms.—
Idra Novey,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Fans are urged to wear white at Ford Field.—
Leah Olajide,
Freep.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
During that visit, then Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo urged Francis in unusually frank terms to take concrete action.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Investigators found the bodies nearby — Davis and Shelton had been shot, Friedt had been stabbed with a hunting knife whose blade broke off in her chest, and Flemmons died from asphyxiation after suffering blunt-force injuries, per A&E, citing Julie Young’s book The Burger Chef Murders in Indiana.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The ambassador stabbed Berry during the struggle, the Sheriff’s Office said.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The city’s emergency overflow shelter is available to adults over 18, with capacity for dogs in kennels, but the office encouraged people who need a warm place to sleep to seek primary shelters as a first option.—
Austin Hornbostel,
Nashville Tennessean,
9 Nov. 2025
-
During the end of the latter track, Lauper encouraged audience members to sing along and brought Salt-n-Pepa onstage to join in.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Chinese prowess in building entire supply chains has spurred the United States and Europe to talk of reindustrialization to avoid any overreliance on Beijing.—
Shaoyu Yuan,
The Conversation,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Surfing soon dominated my Internet searches, hijacked my REM cycles, inspired a move to California, and spurred a new approach to travel.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
My lightning bolt also nudged me toward self-reflection, a pillar of modern wellness.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Allen Gray nudged his walker a few inches forward, edging closer to a stack of blue plastic trays and his first meal of the day.—
Dan Horn,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Bring a headlamp to walk your bike through three 1870s railroad tunnels, each hand-dug by crews armed with little more than picks and shovels.—
Erin Gifford,
Outside,
30 Oct. 2025
-
New beds should be dug or loosened to a depth of 12 inches for varieties with larger bulbs.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In response, Delaware last March passed a law to make the state more alluring, to which Texas quickly counter-punched with an even friendlier law.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The woman punched the air with her umbrella.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodded. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share