noun
fodder
FO-duh
noun
1
Food, such as hay or grain, given to livestock like cattle and horses.
"The farmer stored fodder in the barn for winter."
2
Raw material that feeds or fuels something, especially gossip, satire, or discussion.
"The scandal became fodder for late-night comedy shows."
"His awkward speech was easy fodder for critics."
3
People treated as expendable or of little individual value, especially in the phrase "cannon fodder."
"The soldiers felt like cannon fodder in a war they didn't understand."
How to Use Fodder
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFeed for animals, or (figuratively) raw material that gets used up, especially for jokes, gossip, or as expendable people.
Common pairings
cannon fodder
fodder for gossip
animal fodder
Word Forms
foddered past tense, fodders plural, fodders singular
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Etymology
From Old English fōdor, related to the word "food" and going back to an ancient root meaning "to feed" or "to graze."