51Թ

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View synonyms for

poke

1

[pohk]

verb (used with object)

poked, poking 
  1. to prod or push, especially with something narrow or pointed, such as a finger, elbow, stick, etc..

    He was asleep until she poked him in the ribs.

  2. to make (a hole, one's way, etc.) by or as by prodding or pushing.

    The branch poked a hole in my sweater.

    It was a difficult trek, as he had to poke his way slowly through the underbrush.

  3. to thrust or push.

    She poked her head out of the window.

  4. to force, drive, or stir by or as by pushing or thrusting.

    He poked the fire up.

  5. to thrust obtrusively.

    The prosecutor kept poking his finger at the defendant.



verb (used without object)

poked, poking 
  1. to make a pushing or thrusting movement with the finger, a stick, etc..

    Angle the needle and poke hard, and it should get through the fabric.

  2. to extend or project (often followed byout ).

    His handkerchief is poking out of his back pocket.

  3. to thrust oneself obtrusively.

    It's dangerous to poke into something that's none of your business.

  4. to search curiously; pry (often followed by around orabout ).

    When working airport security, you often have to poke around in other people's stuff.

  5. to go or proceed in a slow or aimless way (often followed byalong ).

    We spent a while poking along at 5 mph while the traffic jam cleared.

noun

  1. a thrust or push.

    She gave the cake a poke with a toothpick to see if it was done.

  2. Informal.a slow or dawdling person; slowpoke.

poke

2

[pohk]

noun

  1. Chiefly Midland U.S. and Scot..a bag or sack, especially a small one.

  2. a wallet or purse.

  3. Archaic.a pocket.

poke

3

[pohk]

noun

  1. a projecting brim at the front of a bonnet, framing the face.

  2. Also called poke bonnet.a bonnet or hat with such a brim.

poke

4

[pohk]

poke

5

[poh-key]

noun

  1. a Hawaiian salad of cubed raw tuna mixed with diced sweet onion and scallion and marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil.

poke

1

/ əʊ /

verb

  1. (tr) to jab or prod, as with the elbow, the finger, a stick, etc

  2. (tr) to make (a hole, opening, etc) by or as by poking

  3. to thrust (at)

  4. informal(tr) to hit with the fist; punch

  5. to protrude or cause to protrude

    don't poke your arm out of the window

  6. (tr) to stir (a fire, pot, etc) by poking

  7. (intr) to meddle or intrude

  8. (intr; often foll by about or around) to search or pry

  9. to loiter, potter, dawdle, etc

  10. slang(tr) (of a man) to have sexual intercourse with

  11. to mock or ridicule

  12. See nose

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a jab or prod

  2. short for slowpoke

  3. informala blow with one's fist; punch

  4. slangsexual intercourse

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

poke

2

/ əʊ /

noun

  1. dialecta pocket or bag

  2. See pig

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

poke

3

/ əʊ /

noun

  1. Also called: poke bonnet.a woman's bonnet with a brim that projects at the front, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries

  2. the brim itself

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

poke

4

/ əʊ /

noun

  1. short for pokeweed

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • pokable adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of poke1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German poken “to thrust, stick with a knife”; poach 2

Origin of poke2

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Middle Dutch, whence also Old North French poque, French poche “bag, pocket”; poach 1, pocket, pouch

Origin of poke3

First recorded in 1760–70; apparently special use of poke 1

Origin of poke4

First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps shortening of obsolete pocan “pokeweed,” perhaps variant of puccoon (pokeberries and puccoon roots were both sources of red dye)

Origin of poke5

First recorded in 1975–80; from Hawaian: literally, “to slice crosswise, section, a section”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of poke1

C14: from Low German and Middle Dutch poken to thrust, prod, strike

Origin of poke2

C13: from Old Northern French poque, of Germanic origin; related to Old English pocca bag, Old Norse poki pouch , Middle Dutch poke bag; compare poach ²

Origin of poke3

C18: from poke 1 (in the sense: to thrust out, project)
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. poke one's nose into, to meddle in; pry into.

    We felt as if half the people in town were poking their noses into our lives.

  2. poke fun at, to ridicule or mock, especially covertly or slyly.

    In her novel, she pokes fun at her ex-husband.

In addition to the idioms beginning with poke, also see make fun of (poke fun at); pig in a poke; take a poke at.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Discussing that landmark rock track, Wilson also poked fun at all the talk about his “genius” in the studio.

From

“We were poking each other in ways we hadn’t done before.”

From

Entering the homestretch, Journalism poked his head in front as Rodriguez started to slow.

From

The subsequent expedition is filled with offbeat personalities who help Hernandez and Stephens construct their myth, before poking the bricks out one by one, in ways both droll and achingly sad.

From

"It's hard to argue with the genius that you see before you," said Bardsley on seeing Yamal poke home his second.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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