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

That shortlist provided constant fodder for conversation, and threatened to overwhelm the typical amiable pre-screening chatter about the actual program of films. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2025

In other words, perfect fodder for a true crime story. —Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025

Director Josh Ruben, along with screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy, craftily concocts a sweetly sinister genre mashup, blending romantic comedy tropes with slasher movie fodder. —Courtney Howard, Variety, 31 Jan. 2025

The stubborn machine has won, and politicians are, for the most part, just fodder, which means that every politician who has to stand in front of a camera after a tragedy turns into another battle site in an endless culture war. —Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2025

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

Rhymes for fodder

• broader
• dodder
• odder
• solder
• marauder

Kids Definition

fodder

noun

fod·​der ˈfäd-ər 

: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock