goad
Americannoun
-
goads
plural
-
a stick with a pointed or electrically charged end, for driving cattle, oxen, etc.; prod.
-
anything that pricks or wounds like such a stick.
-
something that encourages, urges, or drives; a stimulus.
verb (used with object)
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goads,
present (3rd person singular)
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goaded,
past participle, past
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goading
present participle
noun
-
a sharp pointed stick for urging on cattle, etc
-
anything that acts as a spur or incitement
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
goadsimple
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goadssimple
-
have goadedperfect
-
has goadedperfect
-
am goadingprogressive
-
are goadingprogressive
-
is goadingprogressive
-
have been goadingperfect progressive
-
has been goadingperfect progressive
Past
-
goadedsimple
-
had goadedperfect
-
was goadingprogressive
-
were goadingprogressive
-
had been goadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of goad
before 900; Middle English gode, Old English gād; compare Langobardic gaida spearhead
Explanation
A goad is a pointy stick or other instrument used to prod something along. To goad is to poke something with that pointy stick. Either way, the pointiness is really essential for making things leap into action. Originally spelled gad, meaning “spearhead,” goad first came into use as a verb in the 1570s. But say you left your pointy goading stick at home. Have no fear! You can goad people with words, too. Literally or figuratively, a goad prods and pokes and provokes people into doing something. A sheep herder might hustle his flock along with a goad, just as your mom's constant nagging and goading might finally get you sit up straight at the dinner table.
Vocabulary lists containing goad
Lord of the Flies
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Grade 11, List 2
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The economy lacks other spurs to goad it into faster growth.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026
However, “markets typically test those levels to goad the MOF into action,” the analyst adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Tommy Lasorda had to goad Hershiser into becoming a bulldog.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025
He defended those actions and said he will continue to stand up for what he believes is "right" by challenging those trying to goad him into a reaction on camera.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2025
Why is he trying to goad me into giving up?
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
One seeks out a key piece of Parkinson's-causing RNA, while the other goads the cell to chop it to pieces for recycling.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024
In body camera footage released by police in June, an officer sprints into the parking lot and apparently goads on Rodriguez-Nuñez, who is standing beside several smoldering vehicles.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 10, 2022
If that’s not enough meta-weirdness for you, throughout the movie, Nick regularly converses with a younger, cockier version of himself, “Nicky,” who goads him to recapture his former stardom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
In another episode, Che Guevara goads him into indulging power's vilest impulses.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2022
This only goads them into talking further, in lowered voices, their heads leaning in toward each other.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Mr. Warsh resolutely refuses to be goaded into making news at post-FOMC press conferences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The fans goaded Kuniskis to rip a burnout, spinning the truck’s wheels in place until rubber turned into smoke.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
They felt he had been goaded into a moment of weakness.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
He might have been tired or frustrated, but should not have let himself be goaded by America’s vice-president.
From Salon ● Mar. 4, 2025
I didn’t have to be goaded the time she leaned out of the window above me and dropped a raw turnip on my head.
From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli
When San Antonio’s big man Victor Wembanyama pointed to his temple after goading a Knick into a cheap foul, the taunt was clear: I’m in your head, buddy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Rather than respond directly to the company, Muddy Waters took to X, where it posted a meme goading SoFi to “run that game.”
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
It was as if they were goading Scotland now.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
YouTube footage shows him goading people into singing Reef's Put Your Hands Up, and taking selfies with fans during the encore.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2025
Each clink of the coins at her side was a metallic reminder, a goading force driving her forward.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
