fodder

[fod-er]

noun

1. coarse food for livestock, composed of entire plants, including leaves, stalks, and grain, of such forages as corn and sorghum.

2. people considered as readily available and of little value.

   cannon fodder.

3. raw material.

   fodder for a comedian's routine.

verb (used with object)

1. to feed with or as if with fodder.

fodder

/ ˈfɒdə /

noun

1. bulk feed for livestock, esp hay, straw, etc

2. raw experience or material

   fodder for the imagination

verb

1. (tr) to supply (livestock) with fodder

Word History and Origins

Origin of fodder¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English fodder, fōdor; cognate with German Futter; akin to food

Word History and Origins

Origin of fodder¹

Old English fōdor ; related to Old Norse fōthr , Old High German fuotar ; see _food , _forage

Synonym Study

See feed.

Example Sentences

They certainly didn’t want to provide opponents with bulletin board fodder during their attempt to bring a Super Bowl championship to their home city after the 1985 season.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

His sayings, “Stay in your lane” and “Speak it into existence,” became national fodder.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Meme coins spawned on sites like Pump.fun, where the awful and the brainless alike became speculative fodder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The blame for their demise always goes to the bosses treating their own troops like fodder.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Then three periods of drought hurt fodder production, affecting cattle in turn.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• barley 
• corn 
• food 
• forage 
• grain 
• hay