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
Synonyms
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
Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2024
Gamers have pushed, prodded and modded the game beyond recognition, using it as a springboard to explore ideas and create hugely ambitious builds; Minecraft is an infinite sandbox, and its blocky objects and characters have become pop culture icons.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
Tina Reed, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
And a calf is shocked with an electric prod to the face at Empire Livestock Auction in New York to keep the animal moving.
—Jessica Scott-Reid, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See all Example Sentences for prod 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Students and their supporters launched a statewide campaign to prod UC and other public colleges to embrace the theory, test the law and hire the students.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2024
Gamers have pushed, prodded and modded the game beyond recognition, using it as a springboard to explore ideas and create hugely ambitious builds; Minecraft is an infinite sandbox, and its blocky objects and characters have become pop culture icons.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
Noun
Federal regulators are confronting a new twist in drug development: manufacturers that include software with the medicine to prod patients to take pills as directed, manage side effects or track how well a treatment works.
—Tina Reed, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
And a calf is shocked with an electric prod to the face at Empire Livestock Auction in New York to keep the animal moving.
—Jessica Scott-Reid, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See all Example Sentences for prod
Dictionary Entries Near prod
Cite this Entry
“Prod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prod. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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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