prodded; prodding
2
: to poke or stir as if with a prod
: to urge someone on
prodder
noun
1
: a pointed instrument used to prod
2
: an incitement to act
needed a few prods to remember her lines
chiefly Ireland, often disparaging + offensive
Synonyms
Examples of prod in a Sentence
Verb
She prodded him in the ribs to get his attention.
She was prodded into joining the team.
Noun (1)
She gave him a sharp prod in the back.
He picked up a stick and used it as a prod to get the donkey moving.
He needed a few prods to remember his lines.
She called me and gave me a prod about finishing the report.
Recent Examples on the Web
Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
The grim case began in the fall of 2019, after extended family members noticed Lori Vallow's two youngest kids seemingly had disappeared and prodded law enforcement to launch a search.
—CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
The onset of the pandemic, however, prodded state and local government agencies to impose significant business shutdowns to help curb the spread of the deadly virus.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
For 47 years, Maryland inspectors and safety officials had spent many thousands of hours and millions of dollars inspecting, prodding and protecting the 9,090-foot-long bridge, trying to keep it strong amid the onslaught of time, weather and vehicles.
—Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
When prodded for specifics, several CEOs expressed anxieties over the U.S. election in November.
—Robert Stevens, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024
Weber, who always spoke in clear, candid terms, also was deeply involved in college sports, pushing student athletes to improve their grade-point averages and prodding the university to bolster women’s sports.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
Today is Equal Pay Day, AI researcher Fei Fei Li prods President Biden for more resources, and Bumble’s new CEO reconsiders the app’s signature feature.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024
The Pentagon still hosts monthly Contact Group meetings to prod Ukraine’s partners to provide money, weapons and ammunition.
—Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024
The rodeo alliance disagrees with the claim that animals are being harmed at any local events, saying no local groups use electric prods, sharpened spurs or other equipment or techniques criticized by animal rights groups.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024
It's seen as a little bit of a prod to Beijing for now.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Here visitors are asked to poke and prod (mentally of course—no touching allowed at the museum); trust our instincts; turn over possibilities in our heads and reconsider previous biases.
—Brian P. Kelly, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024
The administration is using federal grants to prod local authorities to loosen zoning regulations, for instance, and is considering executive actions that focus on affordability.
—Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2023
Ladislao Gigli La Manna; prod: Jeronimo Geldart, Argentina) Minnie, 18, is diagnosed with a lung tumor.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023
The life cast, which can take the form of a bust or a three-dimensional replica of just the face, becomes the surface for the artist to begin shaping the prosthetics, with the aid of sculpting tools—such as wooden prods, needles, and small metal loops—that add texture.
—Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023
Pease said the devices rodeos use to control animals — including electric prods, shocking devices, bucking straps, sharpened spurs, wire tiedowns and rowels — are torture devices.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2023
Verb
Gustaf – Package Pt. 2 Royal Mountain Records New York no-wave group Gustaf use their rowdy, thorny songs to poke and prod the irritating and ridiculous questions about being a sentient invasive species on this spinning globe.
—Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
The grim case began in the fall of 2019, after extended family members noticed Lori Vallow's two youngest kids seemingly had disappeared and prodded law enforcement to launch a search.
—CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
The onset of the pandemic, however, prodded state and local government agencies to impose significant business shutdowns to help curb the spread of the deadly virus.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
For 47 years, Maryland inspectors and safety officials had spent many thousands of hours and millions of dollars inspecting, prodding and protecting the 9,090-foot-long bridge, trying to keep it strong amid the onslaught of time, weather and vehicles.
—Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
When prodded for specifics, several CEOs expressed anxieties over the U.S. election in November.
—Robert Stevens, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024
Weber, who always spoke in clear, candid terms, also was deeply involved in college sports, pushing student athletes to improve their grade-point averages and prodding the university to bolster women’s sports.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
Today is Equal Pay Day, AI researcher Fei Fei Li prods President Biden for more resources, and Bumble’s new CEO reconsiders the app’s signature feature.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024
The Pentagon still hosts monthly Contact Group meetings to prod Ukraine’s partners to provide money, weapons and ammunition.
—Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
All but one had been starved. Inside the shed, police investigators found a machete, a homemade electrical prod, crossbow arrows, aluminum bats, and several other weapons.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024
The rodeo alliance disagrees with the claim that animals are being harmed at any local events, saying no local groups use electric prods, sharpened spurs or other equipment or techniques criticized by animal rights groups.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024
It's seen as a little bit of a prod to Beijing for now.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Here visitors are asked to poke and prod (mentally of course—no touching allowed at the museum); trust our instincts; turn over possibilities in our heads and reconsider previous biases.
—Brian P. Kelly, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024
The administration is using federal grants to prod local authorities to loosen zoning regulations, for instance, and is considering executive actions that focus on affordability.
—Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2023
Ladislao Gigli La Manna; prod: Jeronimo Geldart, Argentina) Minnie, 18, is diagnosed with a lung tumor.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023
The life cast, which can take the form of a bust or a three-dimensional replica of just the face, becomes the surface for the artist to begin shaping the prosthetics, with the aid of sculpting tools—such as wooden prods, needles, and small metal loops—that add texture.
—Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023
Pease said the devices rodeos use to control animals — including electric prods, shocking devices, bucking straps, sharpened spurs, wire tiedowns and rowels — are torture devices.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prod.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near prod
Cite this Entry
“Prod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prod. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prod
1 of 2 verb
prodded; prodding
1
: to poke with something
2
: to stir a person or animal to action
kept prodding me to reveal the secret
prodder
noun
prod
2 of 2 noun1
: something used for prodding
2
: an act of prodding : a sharp urging or reminder
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share