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

Bellingham poked in Gordon's cross midway through the first half.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
George Lombard singled in a run, Jazz Chisholm poked one through the right side, Trent Grisham got a bunt down for a hit, knocking Crochet out of the game without getting an out.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said the storm would affect the whole city, and urged city residents to avoid the peninsula through the weekend as crews worked to clean up the area.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents to stay indoors.

— Adrian Florido, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of urged

Verb

According to testimony, Pham and Salerno moved Collins into the bathroom after Lavery hit her, but Lavery followed and stabbed her over and over, leaving blood on the tiles, walls and shower curtain — which had images of knives on it.

— Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026
Labour legislator Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of stabbed

Verb

That was until a surge in oil prices and bond yields in recent months spurred investors to run back to their old favorites.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
But Ellison eventually made a superior offer, spurred at least in part by Paramount’s need to gain scale in the streaming wars.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of spurred

Verb

The same analysts at Wells nudged up their Alphabet price target to $417 from $411, implying 20% upside.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
The blind man nudged the ferrule of his cane into the bulk of the sleeping figure, sidestepped him deftly, and moved on to the end of the block, a stoplight, heavy traffic, cyclists, big scary trucks.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of nudged

Verb

Her mother dug her out from under debris and Sasha remained in a coma for 15 days.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Fifteen yards into his route, James dug inside, turned to catch the pass from Zabransky, and took a little jab step upfield as four Oklahoma defenders closed in.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of dug

Verb

His pass set and movements looked more like an art than someone who punched people for a living.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
The suspect allegedly punched the woman with a closed fist before taking her phone and driver's license, then fleeing the scene, according to police.

— Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of punched

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prod

prodded

prodder

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Style

“Prodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodded. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prodded

verb

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