prodding

[prod-ing]

noun

1. the act of poking or jabbing with or as if with something pointed.

   Finally, after five minutes and some prodding with a stick, the cow moved out of the road.

2. the act of trying to incite someone to action, as if by poking; nagging or urging.

   The National Research Council finally succeeded in its assigned mission—albeit with some prodding from a public interest group and the courts.

adjective

1. poking, urging, or nagging.

   It wasn’t until two days later, under the prodding questions of close relatives, that she revealed the true source of the ring.

Word History and Origins

Origin of prodding¹

First recorded in 1840–45; prod + -ing ¹ for the noun senses; prod + -ing ² for the adjective sense

Example Sentences

The next day, after more prodding by Amelia’s father, police received permission to search some parts of the house but found no sign of her.

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What follows is less of a neighborly conversation than Nile prodding a potential victim for exploitable weaknesses.

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The dolphins crowded Roz, studying her and prodding her and chattering to themselves.

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The negotiations continued to falter for the next several months as the Israeli leader resisted prodding from the White House.

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She says she confronted Bietz and his daughter after she saw him leaning over the sea lion and prodding it with a knife.

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Related Words

• goad 
• motivate 
• prompt 
• propel 
• provoke 
• remind 
• spur 
• stimulate