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Synonyms

prod

1 American  
[prod] / prɒd /

verb (used with object)

prodded, prodding

  1. to poke or jab with or as if with something pointed.

    I prodded him with my elbow.

  2. to rouse or incite as if by poking; nag; goad.

    Synonyms:
    excite, prompt, stir, impel

noun

  1. the act of prodding; a poke or jab.

  2. any of various pointed instruments used as a goad, especially an electrified rod that administers a mild shock.

    a cattle prod.
Prod 2 American  
[prod] / prɒd /

noun

Chiefly Ulster Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

  1. a Protestant, especially an Anglo-Irish Protestant.

prod. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. produce.

  2. produced.

  3. producer.

  4. product.

  5. production.

prod 1 British  
/ prɒd /

verb

  1. to poke or jab with or as if with a pointed object

  2. (tr) to rouse or urge to action

"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

noun

  1. the act or an instance of prodding

  2. a sharp or pointed object

  3. a stimulus or reminder

"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
prod. 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. produce

  2. produced

  3. product

"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
Prod 3 British  
/ prɒd /

noun

  1. derogatory another word for Protestant

"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

Other Word Forms

  • prodder noun
  • unprodded adjective

Etymology

Origin of prod1

First recorded in 1525–35; origin uncertain

Origin of Prod2

By shortening; d probably reflects the voicing or flap characteristic of some Ulster accents

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.

A prod, a nudge and the memories spilled out.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

That coaster originally came with a nobler purpose, which is why I keep it handy and in plain sight as a prod to my own civic conscience.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Private space flight has been going so well, it’s hardly been a subject in this column since a 2004 effort to prod congressional action on a safe harbor from the lawsuit industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

The tax-refund money may prod along both 2026 GDP growth and inflation rates, he noted.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026

“A few weeks,” I said, still trying to prod my sleepy brain.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

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.