as in incentives
something that arouses action or activity
the threat of skin cancer—not to mention the prospect of wrinkles—should be sufficient goad for using sunscreen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in urges
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of goads
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
The protagonist then goads him into drinking enough to agree to spending the afternoon at her lake house.
—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Using her charm offensive, Hedda goads naive spouses to cheat, recovering alcoholics to drink and depressives to wander off into the darkness with a revolver.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
Dawn goads Joe about Ted, suggesting that Joe’s late father, who was also sheriff, would have taken action.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
Reynolds goads Miller by sending a photo of himself getting cozy with Sophia, and in a moment both lurid and laughable, the prisoner visualizes the two of them getting naked and going at it right outside the cell.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
To Robin Wright’s multimillionaire gallery owner Laura, her son’s new girlfriend is a sleazy opportunist, a gold digger who lies about her academic and professional credentials and goads Laura by going down on Daniel (Laurie Davidson) in Laura’s house with the door open.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
When the two wind up at a random Easter brunch, Winfried goads Ines into karaoke.
—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
The protagonist then goads him into drinking enough to agree to spending the afternoon at her lake house.
—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Using her charm offensive, Hedda goads naive spouses to cheat, recovering alcoholics to drink and depressives to wander off into the darkness with a revolver.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
Dawn goads Joe about Ted, suggesting that Joe’s late father, who was also sheriff, would have taken action.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
Reynolds goads Miller by sending a photo of himself getting cozy with Sophia, and in a moment both lurid and laughable, the prisoner visualizes the two of them getting naked and going at it right outside the cell.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goads
Noun
-
Unlike the federal tax credits that expired in September, these incentives offer an instant discount and don’t require buyers to apply for credit later.
-
The attack shocked Monaco, a coastal playground for the rich and famous known for its tax-friendly incentives, royal family and Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Verb
-
The designer also urges homeowners to consider flourishes such as tassels, pom-poms, and ribbons to put this vibrant shade to work in the subtlest ways.
-
The National Weather Service urges those in Guam to begin preparing their homes, listen for possible warnings and be ready to evacuate if necessary.
Verb
-
Kara talks her out of it, and when Ruthye walks away, Kara turns back to Krem and stabs him multiple times with a sword.
-
On cue, a Frey leaps out and stabs Robb’s pregnant wife Talisa (Oona Chaplin) in the stomach, and a volley of crossbow arrows lay into Robb and his friends.
Noun
-
All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.
-
In October 2024 ahead of her own stay at MSG, Billie Eilish recorded encouragements to take the subways for environmental benefits.
Verb
-
Valentine also testified that the FDA encourages infant formula companies to send in all adverse event reports and that nothing prevented Mead Johnson from doing so.
-
Kalibrate’s program, according to the lawsuit, encourages gas stations to upload private price data.
Verb
-
Supporters say the law expands options for families and spurs school improvement all around — especially in districts with subpar schools.
-
But the immune system has sensed that something is wrong, and spurs a more brute force reaction.
Noun
-
One of the main impetuses for this is that newer planes are flying further, which means airline routes are getting longer.
Verb
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The second is a vent which pokes out above your clothes, to move warm air away from you.
-
Perched on a finger of land that pokes into Lebanon, Metula is usually crowded with tourists this time of year.
Cite this Entry
“Goads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goads. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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