prod
verb (used with object)
to poke or jab with or as if with something pointed.
prod
1 American
[prod]
/ prɒd /
verb (used with object)
-
prods,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prodded,
past participle, past
-
prodding
present participle
noun
-
prods
plural
-
the act of prodding; a poke or jab.
-
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.
prod.
3
American
abbreviation
-
produce.
-
produced.
-
producer.
-
product.
-
production.
prod
1
British
/ prɒd /
verb
-
to poke or jab with or as if with a pointed object
-
(tr) to rouse or urge to action
noun
-
the act or an instance of prodding
-
a sharp or pointed object
-
a stimulus or reminder
prod.
2
British
abbreviation
-
produce
-
produced
-
product
Prod
3
British
/ prɒd /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prodsimple
-
prodssimple
-
have proddedperfect
-
has proddedperfect
-
am proddingprogressive
-
are proddingprogressive
-
is proddingprogressive
-
have been proddingperfect progressive
-
has been proddingperfect progressive
Past
-
proddedsimple
-
had proddedperfect
-
was proddingprogressive
-
were proddingprogressive
-
had been proddingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A teacher might use a verbal prod when students aren't participating in class. A prod is an encouragement, like the threat of a quiz. Just hope the teacher doesn't use the kind of prod a rancher uses to keep cattle moving! Prod can also be a verb that refers to a soft poke or a nudge, like when you prod someone in the ribs with your finger. It can also describe verbal encouragement that's used when you want something or want to know something. For example, you might prod your sister into helping you do your math homework.
Vocabulary lists containing prod
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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List 5
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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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:
Roberts beelined to him, cracking inside jokes to gently prod him out of his shell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
Higher fuel expenses would raise inflation, crimp consumer spending and prod businesses to put hiring and investment plans on hold.
From MarketWatch ● May 9, 2026
They prod the police officer to notice that there were two drinking glasses and a knocked-over chair in the trailer where George lived alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Sweden believed one of the Canadians was repeatedly double-touching, giving the stone another little prod with his finger to correct its course during Friday's round robin match.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
A family sitting around a pair of Shabbos candles, surrounded by a barrier that observers could peek and prod through.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
The age-old North Korean art of “sports diplomacy” involved limited participation in a global forum to prove the country was normal, Prod Pacheco Pardo said.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2024
Prod him a bit after the Wizards’ second 35-47 season in a row.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2023
In 1946, flush with the success of “The Pursuit of Love,” Mitford moved to Paris, only to discover that Palewski was as much a philanderer as Prod.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2019
Prod a little deeper, and a fuller picture emerges, one where the four-legged family member calls the decorating shots.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2018
"This yere feed not being up to grade, Prod he 'lows he'd pull his freight back home, square himself with the old man and start a new deal—" Sage-brush was deeply interested in the story.
From The Round-Up A romance of Arizona novelized from Edmund Day's melodrama by Edmund Day
He said he felt like he’d been “stuck with a cattle prod. Like I jumped out of my seat. Adrenaline. Sweaty palms.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
“Poke and prod. But have a legitimate reason to go. Visit a restaurant or something. Get something cheap. Walk around a bit,” Duong responded, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 6, 2021
One brilliant recitation may turn an unassuming student into a "prod."; and on the strength of one clever bit of writing another is given the title of "genius."
From Betty Wales, Sophomore by Margaret Warde
We think Bob will go in; she can do such beautiful pantomimes, and she's such a prod. and such jolly fun too.
From Betty Wales, Sophomore by Margaret Warde
"He's the one that's playin' the part of the missing prod.," says I. "What is he like?" says Pinckney, gettin' interested.
From Side-stepping with Shorty by Sewell Ford
That is, until an intriguing puzzle shakes up Felix’s otherwise sleepy summer and prods him to pay attention to his surroundings in a new way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
If you opt for private sessions, there’s a misconception that it will involve revealing your innermost secrets, perhaps while lying on a couch, as a therapist prods you to beat back your demons.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026
For most American infants, the hepatitis B shot comes just before their first bath, in the blur of pokes, prods and pictures that attend a 21st century hospital delivery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2025
In these moments, “A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute” prods people with long memories to contemplate what has and hasn’t changed about the comedy landscape 10 years after Rivers left us.
From Salon ● May 14, 2025
The Erudite girl prods at any weaknesses she sees, and so does Cara, and soon they are all shored up, like we have just built a secure structure.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
But decades later the three, prodded by Elvira, go on a quest to understand what really happened to them and their parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
In the next over, Bethell prodded at one from Will O'Rourke he could have left and edged to second slip.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
The crowd, which greeted Paul with boos before settling into sullen, begrudging applause when prodded, is fully prepared for a distraction.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
One of Sims’s maternal uncles was a labor economist, and prodded him to enter the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Muthu prodded a broken bottle at the base of a mound.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
But dozens of Wall Street Journal readers have told me that their financial advisers are prodding them to put these funds in taxable accounts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
He’s prodding his father to march alongside him in the parade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Massie has been one of the loudest House voices prodding the Trump administration to release more information on the sex offender and his accomplices.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
Congress changed the law in 2018, after prodding by the industry, and doubled the debt limit to two times equity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Without prodding, Post said quietly, “I don’t think I shall advocate that dome; probably I shall modify the building.”
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
