prod

[prod]

See more synonyms for prod on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), prod·ded, prod·ding.

to poke or jab with or as if with something pointed: I prodded him with my elbow.
to rouse or incite as if by poking; nag; goad.

noun

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.

Origin of prod

First recorded in 1525–35; origin uncertain

Related formsprod·der, nounun·prod·ded, adjective

Synonyms for prod

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2. impel, stir, prompt, excite.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for prodding

press, nudge, prompt, propel, motivate, goad, remind, provoke, spur, stimulate, prick, crowd, shove, dig, drive, punch, push, jog, elbow, jab

Examples from the Web for prodding

Contemporary Examples of prodding

But, as the people of Irving are now discovering, all of this poking and prodding is not without potential consequences.
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas
James Joiner
January 7, 2015
It was only after some prodding from other commenters that Faircloth came up with a name.
Conor Oberst and the Myth of the Woman Who Cried Rape
Amanda Marcotte
July 15, 2014
The most challenging might be prodding Taliban leaders to enter talks.
‘Homework to Do’: The Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Talk Tipping Point
Shamila N. Chaudhary, Omar Samad
April 26, 2013
One thing that Richard's heart leaves us in no doubt about, however, is this: prodding around with dead kings is fun.
Scientists Exhume the Heart of Richard the Lionheart
Dan Jones
March 3, 2013
Khrushchev said he would remove them “in due course,” but did he need some prodding by ratcheting up the blockade?
The Commander-in-Chief Test: What the Cuban Missile Crisis Tells Us About JFK
David G. Coleman
October 16, 2012

Historical Examples of prodding

I was prodding for my food into a camp-kettle when they were howling for their pap.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
By this time Judson had pinned him in a corner, and was prodding him with the half-butt.
Soldiers Three, Part II.
Rudyard Kipling
All they needed was prodding to translate that willingness into law.
Susan B. Anthony
Alma Lutz
The peasants walked by the oxen, prodding them with short sticks.
Trapped in 'Black Russia'
Ruth Pierce
I knew he had an out; I was just prodding him into springing it.
A Spaceship Named McGuire
Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for prodding

prod

verb prods, prodding or prodded

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

Derived Formsprodder, noun

Word Origin for prod

C16: of uncertain origin

Prod

noun

derogatory, slang 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

Word Origin and History for prodding

prod

1530s, "to poke with a stick," of uncertain origin; possibly [Barnhart] a variant of brod, from Middle English brodden "to goad," from Old Norse broddr "shaft, spike" (see brad), or perhaps imitative [OED]. Figurative sense is recorded from 1871. Related: Prodded; prodding.

prod

1787, "pointed instrument used in prodding;" 1802, "act of prodding;" from prod (v.).