goad

[ gohd ]
See synonyms for goad on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a stick with a pointed or electrically charged end, for driving cattle, oxen, etc.; prod.

  2. anything that pricks or wounds like such a stick.

  1. something that encourages, urges, or drives; a stimulus.

verb (used with object)
  1. to prick or drive with, or as if with, a goad; prod; incite.

Origin of goad

1
before 900; Middle English gode,Old English gād; compare Langobardic gaida spearhead

Other words for goad

Other words from goad

  • goad·like, adjective
  • un·goad·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use goad in a sentence

  • I might have been an unfortunate little bull in a Spanish arena, I got so smartingly touched up by these moral goads.

    Great Expectations | Charles Dickens
  • Your pride goads you, but your heart is no longer in the work.

    The Wolf Cub | Patrick Casey
  • In a small community, the master who dares kick against the parental goads soon finds the town too hot to hold him.

    Town Life in Australia | R. E. N. (Richard) Twopeny

British Dictionary definitions for goad

goad

/ (ɡəʊd) /


noun
  1. a sharp pointed stick for urging on cattle, etc

  2. anything that acts as a spur or incitement

verb
  1. (tr) to drive with or as if with a goad; spur; incite

Origin of goad

1
Old English gād, of Germanic origin, related to Old English gār, Old Norse geirr spear

Derived forms of goad

  • goadlike, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012