Synonyms of prodding

prodding

verb

present participle of prod

1

as in poking

to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object

kept prodding the sheep with a staff to move along faster

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poking
• digging
• spurring
• stabbing
• goading
• nudging
• punching
• jabbing
• knocking
• pricking
• drilling
• sticking
• propelling
• jogging
• puncturing
• perforating
• piercing
• chucking
• driving
• boring
• haling

2

as in urging

to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action

a public outcry eventually prodded the politicians into action

Synonyms & Similar Words

• urging
• encouraging
• nudging
• prompting
• coaxing
• goading
• spurring
• pushing
• exhorting
• pressing
• egging (on)
• propelling
• cajoling
• stimulating
• driving
• imploring
• provoking
• hurrying
• pressuring
• beseeching
• importuning
• wheedling
• hustling
• rushing
• nagging
• needling
• inciting
• fomenting
• instigating
• stirring (up)
• adjuring
• blandishing
• high-pressuring
• soft-soaping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discouraging
• deterring
• checking
• restraining
• dissuading
• curbing
• braking
• inhibiting
• constraining
• holding back

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prodding

The defense kept prodding James to tell more about the Compton gang war, the hatred between both sides, what really happened on that night in Las Vegas. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026

But the forces prodding Shin to boost rates are increasingly affecting Fed policy decisions. — William Pesek, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026

But economic and political pressures, both domestic and international, have been prodding policymakers to rethink the path and the pace of getting there. — Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026

The White House also couldn’t resist prodding Swift when the singer married Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, unleashing a series of memes on the day of the wedding in July. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026

While a prodding journalist like me might try to get the chatbots to veer off course, the ordinary user probably won’t notice a difference. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Renowned Chilean filmmaker Valeria Sarmiento has a long history of prodding at memory in her films. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 9 July 2026

Payton now will be in the Parcells role, a Super Bowl-winning coach with an endless reservoir of experience pushing and prodding a young assistant with clear potential and the edge that comes with it. — Joseph Person, New York Times, 24 June 2026

The steady march of progress, as demonstrated by these latest research papers, is prodding organizations with the most to lose to err on the side of Q Day—the day a cryptographically relevant quantum computer arrives—coming sooner rather than later. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026