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
foddertransitive verb
Example Sentences
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 WebThere is ample fodder for comparison of the two men. Troy Senik, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 Political issues were not off-limits during the 2022 Emmys, as former President Donald Trump and the succession of the British crown were joke fodder at Monday’s ceremony. Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022 Though his meme-able style is easy comedy fodder, Fieri has been celebrated for his efforts to help those in need. Ana Calderone, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2022 Lying flat and involution are not just online fodder, experts say; symptoms of passive resistance are popping up across Chinese society. Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2022 With so many favorite characters to re-create, the movie is perfect fodder for a large family with several kiddos. Terri Robertson, Country Living, 18 Aug. 2022 Our story may be great fodder for campaigns and political division, but measures to lower drug list prices to help everyone are the real solution. Janelle Lutgen, CNN, 16 Aug. 2022 The Princess is at once fodder for royal spectators—and a searing indictment of the role the public and the press played in her death. Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, 13 Aug. 2022 The prospect of starting over in middle age is bittersweet, terrifying, and absurd — perfect fodder for a sitcom that's by and for grown-ups. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 27 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English fōdor; akin to Old High German fuotar food — more at food
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of fodder was before the 12th century