prodding

verb

Definition of proddingnext
present participle of prod
1
as in poking
to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object kept prodding the sheep with a staff to move along faster

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in urging
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action a public outcry eventually prodded the politicians into action

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodding
  1. poking
  2. urging
  3. encouraging
  4. spurring
  5. stabbing
  6. punching
  7. jabbing
Verb
  • Carter first saw the disease up close in 1988 while visiting a village in Ghana where nearly 350 people had worms poking through their skin.
    Sam Mednick, Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2024
  • At its most basic, a poke cake is made by poking holes into a warm cake and pouring on a frosting or filling mixture.
    Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2024
Definition of poking
Verb
  • In 2023, a billboard displaying Graves' photo was placed near the festival site, urging attendees to provide any information to authorities.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
  • With declining tax revenues, the Kremlin is urging war-profiteering oligarchs to bear more of the burden.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of urging
Verb
  • Unfortunately, current leadership isn’t fostering a new narrative or encouraging positive change.
    Jennifer Guzman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2025
  • The recent record highs in the S&P 500 were partly driven by optimism that the Federal Reserve would continue cutting interest rates through 2025, making borrowing cheaper and encouraging economic activity.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of encouraging
Verb
  • However, his critics have targeted the package, with Republican lawmakers accusing him of spurring inflation.
    Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Meanwhile, a second rapidly spreading blaze broke out several hours later, spurring more evacuations, as dangerous winds continued to sweep Southern California late into the evening.
    Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2025
Definition of spurring
Verb
  • Brooks was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2017 for stabbing his girlfriend in Monroe County.
    Kate Holland, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Smith was convicted of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and her sons decades ago.
    CBS News, CBS News, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • The group in the other vehicle surround Martinez between the two vehicles, with two people repeatedly punching her while a third person pulls her legs, taking her to the ground.
    Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
  • According to Hallman, Forrest-Stitt responded by allegedly assaulting him, punching him in the chest, hitting his mouth, and causing injuries, including a busted lip and a painful bicep injury.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of punching
Verb
  • In the meantime, Democrats are jabbing back at GOP claims over the New Orleans atrocity.
    Niall Stanage, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Companies perfected the art of evasion, leaving us jabbing the zero key like a deranged woodpecker just to talk to someone with a pulse.
    Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of jabbing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near prodding

prodders

prodding

prodigal

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Prodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodding. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on prodding

Nglish: Translation of prodding for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of prodding for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.