prod
verb (used with object)
to poke or jab with or as if with something pointed.
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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:
"Even though we believed these theories to be true, it's important to have an experimental realization, something you can poke and prod," Alicea says.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Reaching the close unbeaten would have presented a golden opportunity for a big score on Thursday, only for a limp prod at Razaullah to leave more questions and a sense of what might have been.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Roberts beelined to him, cracking inside jokes to gently prod him out of his shell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
“The regime continues to poke and prod, looking for a soft underbelly,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Ralph was not religious in general, but in times of hardship, gods grew up, some to test and prod, others to look in on him.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
He would later go on to run Prod, a Cambridge, Mass.-based, student-run nonprofit startup accelerator that produced the coding agent Cursor and the AI hiring platform Mercor, before co-founding Etched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
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
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
Prod Mr. Winfield where my finger is pointing.
From The Coming of Bill by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
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
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
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
"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
New contractors like Anduril will make a difference, especially if Congress prods the Pentagon to shape up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 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
Its mere presence prods me into reading more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 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
She manages to sleep through the morning racket—until Grandma Knife's big toe prods her, making her yelp.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
Andy Robertson tried to stop a corner but only gifted the ball to John McGinn and, after Boubacar Kamara's effort, Manzambi prodded in from close range.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
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
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
“Mom, I’m going to marry a white man,” I prodded her.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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
The military is prodding contractors to make their weapons more compatible with AI models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
The day will need him at his gobsmacking best; poking and prodding, controlling and surprising, putting men into gaps and sticking points on the board.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
Its activist investing honcho, James Chadwick, once told a podcast his fund often gets involved at the prodding of a former insider or other person knowledgeable about a particular target company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
Archer tapped the edge of his scar uncertainly, prodding the uneven, knotted skin.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
