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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodded

Verb

Kessler, standing nearby during Williams’ postgame news conference, poked his head out from behind a black curtain and gave his teammate a thumbs-up.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Already poked, the league bear hasn’t exactly gone into hibernation, either.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

Alison Linder, assistant sustainability coordinator at Occidental College, which has a thrift store of its own with Halloween costumes in stock, encouraged people to organize their own swaps with neighbors, friends or school classmates.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly dismissed previous caution of AI tools and encouraged rapid autonomous innovation at the Pentagon.

— Chiara Eisner, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraged

Verb

Strong consumer demand for digital-first experiences and digital money has spurred innovation, and central banks are fostering this through sandboxes and programs that connect banks, vendors and regulators.

— Maghnus Mareneck, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
In a cafe in Mexico City once in the mid-Fifties, Pan spurred Rivera into a debate that Pan believed to have led Rivera to change the most controversial element in one of his most scandalous works.

— David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of spurred

Verb

Before the glitter from the Knicks’ meat-hook sized rings stopped shimmering, the NBA nudged everyone along to the new season.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
What unfolded instead was a traffic jam on the right side before Walker cut back left, Mahomes nudged a linebacker off his course and Walker hit the crease and dived into the end zone.

— Sam McDowell October 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of nudged

Verb

The 25-year-old who was punched refused medical attention at the scene.

— Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
The Rays punched their ticket to baseball’s biggest stage with a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, taking the best-of-seven series four games to two.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of punched

Browse Nearby Words

prod

prodded

prodder

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Prodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodded. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of prodded

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes