fodder

noun

fod·​der ˈfä-dər 

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

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

And then there's a difference between putting someone like him potentially in charge of all public health agencies, as well as women's health which is giving a lot of fodder for Vice President Kamala Harris and for Democrats to seize and pounce on this. —ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024

Hollywood employment can be great fodder for buzzy comedies, from The Larry Sanders Show to 30 Rock. —Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Nov. 2024

Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles aren’t just fodder for science fiction or far-out R&D experiments. —Harri Weber, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2024

The triumphs and tragedies that defined the life of comedian Joan Rivers are fodder for Daniel Goldstein’s dramatization. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English fōdor; akin to Old High German fuotar food — more at food

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fodder

• cannon fodder

Kids Definition

fodder

noun

fod·​der ˈfäd-ər 

: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock