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 And along with the documentary, you get prodded into recall again. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 On cross-examination, defense attorney Blair Berk prodded Wallace to admit that her chemical analysis — done months after prosecutors believe Burke turned his garage into an abattoir — did not definitively prove the presence of blood. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 22 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 Some lawmakers openly prodded Netanyahu on Monday to move closer to the US by seeking to bolster negotiations on winding down the war. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 8 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodded

Verb

Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.

— Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.

— Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

The department urged residents to secure access points to crawlspaces and to remove anything that would attract the coyote from the outside of their homes.

— Alys Martinez, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Trump called Jones last month and urged him to meet with Jackson, who defeated Jones in a GOP primary in June, according to three people with direct knowledge of the conversation who aren’t authorized to speak publicly about the exchange.

— Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of urged

Verb

After being stabbed in the ass by Northmen Roddy the Ruin (Tommy Flanagan), Ulf’s (Tom Bennett) dragon suddenly roars in from above and takes them both out in a giant ball of fire.

— Matt Minton, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Kailey Erhart, 22, stabbed her 5-month-old and 3-year-old children to death on Thursday after waving a gun at her estranged husband and threatening to kill herself, according to police.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of stabbed

Verb

Students avoided asking questions that could be considered controversial, and teachers no longer encouraged open discussion.

— Fatima Faizi, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Patients should be encouraged to ask who manufactured the product, why it is being recommended, whether FDA has evaluated it and how to report an adverse reaction.

— Washington Post, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of encouraged

Verb

And the jeers that White received from the home crowd at the end of pregame introductions might have spurred energy from the Fever players before and after the tilt.

— Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
The hazing investigation has also spurred conversations about changes to Pennsylvania's mandatory reporting laws.

— Chilekasi Adele, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of spurred

Verb

At the same time, the bull directs a spray of urine onto the underside of his neck and then rolls about in the wallow after it is dug, continuing to urinate in the wallow.

— Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2026
State lawmakers have already dug a huge pension hole for taxpayers.

— Daniel Borenstein, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of dug

Verb

Two people who saw the surveillance video recognized the man who punched Wilson as Harris, and one knew him from previous assaults in the area, the complaint said.

— Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 13 Aug. 2026
By Wednesday, Carter said, fallen branches had punched several holes through roofs across the campus, including the administration building.

— Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 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 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of prodded

verb

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