1
: something fed to domestic animals
especially
: coarse food for cattle, horses, or sheep
2
: inferior or readily available material used to supply a heavy demand
fodder for tabloids
This sort of breezy plot line has become cheap fodder for novelists and screenwriters …—
Sally Bedell
Sally Bedell
fodder
transitive verb
Examples of fodder in a Sentence
His antics always make good fodder for the gossip columnists.
She often used her friends' problems as fodder for her novels.
Recent Examples on the Web
That shortlist provided constant fodder for conversation, and threatened to overwhelm the typical amiable pre-screening chatter about the actual program of films.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2025
In other words, perfect fodder for a true crime story.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025
Director Josh Ruben, along with screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy, craftily concocts a sweetly sinister genre mashup, blending romantic comedy tropes with slasher movie fodder.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 31 Jan. 2025
The stubborn machine has won, and politicians are, for the most part, just fodder, which means that every politician who has to stand in front of a camera after a tragedy turns into another battle site in an endless culture war.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for fodder 
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Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2025
In other words, perfect fodder for a true crime story.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025
Director Josh Ruben, along with screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy, craftily concocts a sweetly sinister genre mashup, blending romantic comedy tropes with slasher movie fodder.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 31 Jan. 2025
The stubborn machine has won, and politicians are, for the most part, just fodder, which means that every politician who has to stand in front of a camera after a tragedy turns into another battle site in an endless culture war.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for fodder
Dictionary Entries Near fodder
Cite this Entry
“Fodder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fodder. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fodder
noun
fod·der
ˈfäd-ər 
: coarse dry food (as cornstalks) for livestock
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