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
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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
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Recent Examples of prodded
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
But Voccola said he was prodded into action after the City Commission voted 3-2 in June to postpone the November 2025 election to 2026 without voter approval.
—Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Naked people are collared, bound, prodded, whipped, ridden like horses, roasted over spits.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Those clients and patients will often walk in the door with preconceived beliefs about how their therapy should go or is going, spurred and prodded by what AI has told them.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
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
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
But Voccola said he was prodded into action after the City Commission voted 3-2 in June to postpone the November 2025 election to 2026 without voter approval.
—Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Naked people are collared, bound, prodded, whipped, ridden like horses, roasted over spits.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Those clients and patients will often walk in the door with preconceived beliefs about how their therapy should go or is going, spurred and prodded by what AI has told them.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodded
Verb
-
Merritt playfully poked fun at safety Bryan Cook, who nearly had an interception.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
-
In the years since, he's shared his speech progress and also poked fun at his health in his sets.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lawyers for Cook urged the court not to fire her, rejecting the allegations.—
Claire Cameron,
semafor.com,
28 Sep. 2025
-
South African products were pulled from grocery stores in the West, campaigners urged divestment and bank exits, and many musicians refused to play in the apartheid state.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
She’d been stabbed several times.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Castillo was stabbed to death before her attackers allegedly cut open her abdomen, according to an autopsy cited by the outlet.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Any student feeling unsettled or affected by the incident is encouraged to take advantage of the support.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Sep. 2025
-
After Jeremy encouraged Benny to show him his skills, Benny panicked.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The new album also spurred notable gains for the Bronx MC’s Grammy-winning debut album, Invasion of Privacy.—
Jason Lipshutz,
Billboard,
24 Sep. 2025
-
While the commercial product spurred faster early growth, the bio-glass proved more durable.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To manage the thousands of people who descend daily, operators have studied visitors’ behavior and engineered their parks to move people around without anyone realizing they’re being nudged.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
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Student tickets nudged down, too, from 8,013 to 7,823.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cut up, the plant matter can be added to the compost bin or dug it into the soil.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
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For the past five years, Wineburg has worked with alongside vineyard manager Martin Galvan and consultants Pedro Parra and Brenna Quigley, who dug soil pits to better understand what was going on underground.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to the complaint, Galarza punched the other man in the face without warning.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Frustrated by the decision, with both players pulling each other’s shirts, the striker picked the ball up and punched it into the air.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodded. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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