1
: something fed to domestic animals
especially
: coarse food for cattle, horses, or sheep
2
: inferior or readily available material used to supply a heavy demand
fodder for tabloids
This sort of breezy plot line has become cheap fodder for novelists and screenwriters …—
Sally Bedell
Sally Bedell
fodder
transitive verb
Examples of fodder in a Sentence
His antics always make good fodder for the gossip columnists.
She often used her friends' problems as fodder for her novels.
Recent Examples on the Web
The ballot gaffe has created political fodder for candidates who are running for Skokie clerk, including Desai, who is running after she was appointed clerk in 2024.
—Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Along with literary value, purposes instructors noted in choosing specific books included capturing particular moments in history, providing fodder for interesting class discussions and self-exploration, and simply being interesting and entertaining reading for students.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 30 Mar. 2025
But much of the attention has centered on Musk, whose role in the administration has received outsized attention and whose presence in the race has given fodder to Democrats supporting Crawford.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 30 Mar. 2025
Actors like her who can somehow find purchase in pulpy disasters like this are certainly wish-list fodder for moviemakers, yet are near-impossible to find.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fodder
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Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Along with literary value, purposes instructors noted in choosing specific books included capturing particular moments in history, providing fodder for interesting class discussions and self-exploration, and simply being interesting and entertaining reading for students.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 30 Mar. 2025
But much of the attention has centered on Musk, whose role in the administration has received outsized attention and whose presence in the race has given fodder to Democrats supporting Crawford.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 30 Mar. 2025
Actors like her who can somehow find purchase in pulpy disasters like this are certainly wish-list fodder for moviemakers, yet are near-impossible to find.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fodder
Cite this Entry
“Fodder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fodder. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fodder
noun
fod·der
ˈfäd-ər 
: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock
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