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:
Roberts beelined to him, cracking inside jokes to gently prod him out of his shell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
The shift is expected to prod additional stock purchases of SpaceX from investment funds built around the index.
From Barron's ● May 17, 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
At other moments, he suggested the kingdom was also in Iran’s sights if it didn’t prod Washington away from war, the officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
The robin dropped off Pacheco’s shoulder and began to inhale worms as fast as the man could gently prod apart the clods with his spade.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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
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
Prod the kids outside, give them hot chocolate and gaze toward the moon in the east.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2017
Prod 'em where they live and they'll do anything.
From Brown John's Body by Winston K. Marks
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
"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
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
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
Attacking shots are causing England's downfall, not tentative prods.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025
Growth doesn't happen without setbacks or pivots, but Mel's near-death experience prods her to keep following the advice given by the woman sharing her hospital room.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2024
He inspects my stump, prods it, measures it, then says, “Outstanding!”
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
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
Defense companies, sometimes prodded by governments, are sealing new deals to boost Europe’s defense industry and military capabilities to tackle the Russian threat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 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
Samuel Chukwueze was ruled offside by the narrowest of margins when he prodded Jimenez's free-kick to Cuenca.
From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026
Oh, he prodded and persuaded and inspired and bribed the boys to do right, but he never forced them, never commanded, never shouted.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
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
Zarate, without prodding, went up to CIF executive director Ron Nocetti and thanked him for what will become an annual state soccer championship event.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 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
Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean’s poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
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.
