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 lurid details of Elma’s murder and her life become fodder for gossip, with many blaming her for what happened — a situation that often occurs today.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Not exactly fodder for lighthearted jokes, especially by government officials.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, Mexican moviemakers and critics have been less than thrilled to see the country’s drug war and mass disappearances reduced to fodder for a musical that sincerely tries to humanize a cartel boss who earns her redemption by … starting a NGO.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
But the internet encourages the transformation of antipathy into creative fodder, and enables its dissemination.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fodder
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Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Not exactly fodder for lighthearted jokes, especially by government officials.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, Mexican moviemakers and critics have been less than thrilled to see the country’s drug war and mass disappearances reduced to fodder for a musical that sincerely tries to humanize a cartel boss who earns her redemption by … starting a NGO.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
But the internet encourages the transformation of antipathy into creative fodder, and enables its dissemination.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 2 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 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fodder
noun
fod·der
ˈfäd-ər 
: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock
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