PRODDED Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

prodded

verb

past tense of prod

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

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 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 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 Later in the second half, Olise teed up Ousmane Dembele with prodded outside-of-the-boot passes after picking up loose balls in front of the defence. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Lawyers for Julia Ormond are looking to have the court issue a bench warrant for the arrest of CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz for walking out of a deposition after being prodded about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. — Winston Cho For The Hollywood Reporter, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026 Lawyers for Julia Ormond are looking to have the court issue a bench warrant for the arrest of CAA cofounder Michael Ovitz for walking out of a deposition after being prodded about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodded

Verb

Gray-green eyes poked up from its small, round shell, which was the color of sand, and its legs made a soft, scuttling sound.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Flip and continue to cook until the flesh begins to flake when poked with a fork, 1 to 2 minutes.

— Kate Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

During a meeting with French bishops on Sunday morning, Leo praised their response to victims and urged them to continue.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
During a meeting with French bishops Sunday morning, Leo praised their response to victims and urged them to continue.

— Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of urged

Verb

Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra told CNN his client remains committed to working with Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation and is encouraged by her appointment.

— Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Many of these culture-creating behaviors have been observed in 2026 Anthropic studies of multi-agent systems this year that encouraged complex collaboration.

— Michael Morris, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraged

Verb

Gio Giovanni Gerosa While knitwear and colorful silk dresses remain at the center of Giovanni Gerosa’s universe, his brand’s latest collection nudged the designer’s penchant for craftsmanship into new territories.

— Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
So there’s not that much to happen in the last two-thirds of the drama than for your ribs to be constantly nudged with the idea of how easily the most respectable citizens among us will give in to modest proposals and, indeed, murder.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of nudged

Verb

Hundreds of British troops crisscrossed fields with thousands of metres of razor wire and dug a long ditch that was later partially filled with water to act as a moat to keep the Protestant marchers away from the Catholic enclave.

— Amanda Ferguson Reuters, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
But the Rebels dug deep again, and came away with the emotional victory.

— Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of dug

Verb

The fight was so violent that each one of them punched, scratched, bit and slapped the other, Linhardt said.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Fields came up behind Ezukanma, who was sitting on bench in the locker room looking at his phone, punched him in the head, and kicked him.

— Mac Engel September 24, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of punched

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prod

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“Prodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodded. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prodded

verb

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