Pronunciation: [ɡˈə͡ʊdz] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "goads" is a little tricky. It's spelled "g-o-a-d-s" with a silent "d" at the end. The "oa" in this word makes an "o" sound like in "go" and the "a" sound combines with the "o" to create a diphthong sound like in "load." So, it's pronounced as /ɡoʊdz/. Goads means to provoke or urge someone to do something, often through taunts or challenges.
Goads, as a noun, refer to objects or instruments used for prodding, urging, or driving animals, primarily livestock. They typically consist of a long pole with a pointed or spiked end, intended to inflict minimal harm while directing the animals' movement. Goads are commonly utilized in the agricultural or herding industry to guide and motivate animals to move in a desired direction, such as driving cows into their pens or encouraging oxen to pull a cart.
In a figurative sense, "goads" can also function as a verb, describing the act of provoking, inciting, or rousing someone into action. When one goads another person, they are attempting to stimulate a response or elicit a specific behavior through persistent and often irritating actions or remarks. Goads can serve to motivate someone towards a specific goal or to challenge their complacency. This action could be seen as either positive or negative, depending on the intentions behind it and the consequences it brings about.
The term "goads" can thus encompass both physical objects used for prodding animals as well as the psychological or rhetorical techniques employed to evoke a reaction from individuals, often with the aim of initiating movement, change, or advancement in some way.
The word "goads" has its roots in Old English. It comes from the Old English word "gād", which means a stick or rod used for driving animals. The term is also related to Old Norse "gaddr" and Middle Dutch "gade". The verb form "goad" originated from the noun, meaning to prod or urge someone or something forward with or as if with a goad.
