goaded

verb

past tense of goad
1
as in urged
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action tried to goad me into auditioning for the play

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spurred
to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object goading the horse forward into the stall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of goaded Garrett, the best defensive player of the post-Aaron Donald era, fittingly goaded the legend out of retirement. — Jeff Howe, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Or Pablo Picasso, goaded into radicalism by the latest bizarre creations of Matisse, retreating to the Spanish mountain village of Gósol and, mere months later, beginning work on his proto-cubist masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 The architect of the program’s revitalization will not be goaded into predictions or promises. — Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026 Anthony provoked and goaded Metcalf, Wirskye said. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026 In the ensuing chaos, one of those two young men takes the stage, goaded on by his friend, and soon has the audience dancing to his melodies and words. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 22 May 2026 He was mocked and goaded by Callum Newman into attacking Shingo Takagi after Newman retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026 The czar, goaded by his military advisors, mobilized the Russian army knowing that meant war. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026 Her ups and downs were a regular punch line on late-night talk shows, starting with her first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1985, when she was goaded into agreeing to lose 15 lbs. — Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goaded
  1. urged
  2. spurred
  3. encouraged
  4. stabbed
  5. nudged
  6. prodded
  7. poked
  8. punched
Verb
  • Beijing has responded by curbing exports of critical minerals to Japanese companies and urged citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan.
    — Anniek Bao,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Thomson says Gordon urged Zakrzewski to turn on a livestream that would display his location to Fox colleagues in New York and London.
    — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of urged
Verb
  • That was until a surge in oil prices and bond yields in recent months spurred investors to run back to their old favorites.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
  • But Ellison eventually made a superior offer, spurred at least in part by Paramount’s need to gain scale in the streaming wars.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of spurred
Verb
  • Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra told CNN his client remains committed to working with Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation and is encouraged by her appointment.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Many of these culture-creating behaviors have been observed in 2026 Anthropic studies of multi-agent systems this year that encouraged complex collaboration.
    — Michael Morris, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • After an Omani national copilot — who has since been identified as 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami — allegedly stabbed FlyDubai flight 1073’s pilot Capt.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit before passengers intervened aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 after taking off from Dubai, UAE, with 182 people including eight crew members flying to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday.
    — Sam Metz, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of stabbed
Verb
  • The same analysts at Wells nudged up their Alphabet price target to $417 from $411, implying 20% upside.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The blind man nudged the ferrule of his cane into the bulk of the sleeping figure, sidestepped him deftly, and moved on to the end of the block, a stoplight, heavy traffic, cyclists, big scary trucks.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of nudged
Verb
  • Builders, prodded to work beyond city limits, adopted Olmsted’s vision for what those suburbs should look like.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Trump publicly prodded the Health secretary for an update on autism research in a Cabinet meeting last month.
    — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of prodded
Verb
  • Bellingham poked in Gordon's cross midway through the first half.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • George Lombard singled in a run, Jazz Chisholm poked one through the right side, Trent Grisham got a bunt down for a hit, knocking Crochet out of the game without getting an out.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • His pass set and movements looked more like an art than someone who punched people for a living.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The suspect allegedly punched the woman with a closed fist before taking her phone and driver's license, then fleeing the scene, according to police.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of punched

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goad
goaded
goading
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Cite this Entry

“Goaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goaded. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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