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
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
Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Paramount and many others corporate American, prodded in particular by a national conversation on race after the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, had proudly hire DEI experts and began to roll out lengthy reports with charts, graphs and lots of numbers measuring progress in diversity.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2025
Zachary Basu, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
The nonprofit assembles experts in their respective fields to research topics that prod gender equality across the United States.
—Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prod
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Fernandes then sent over the corner that saw Palmer save from Maguire and then Diogo Dalot, only for De Ligt to prod in at the third time of asking.
—Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Paramount and many others corporate American, prodded in particular by a national conversation on race after the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, had proudly hire DEI experts and began to roll out lengthy reports with charts, graphs and lots of numbers measuring progress in diversity.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
Zoom in: Above all else, Trump's first month has been dominated by his war on the federal bureaucracy — and his various efforts to prod, probe and blow through the limits of presidential power.
—Zachary Basu, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
The nonprofit assembles experts in their respective fields to research topics that prod gender equality across the United States.
—Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prod
Cite this Entry
“Prod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prod. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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
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