poacher

1
[ poh-cher ]

noun
  1. a person who trespasses on private property, especially to catch fish or game illegally.

  2. Also called sea-poacher. any of several slender, marine fishes of the family Agonidae, found chiefly in deeper waters of the North Pacific, having the body covered with bony plates.

Origin of poacher

1
First recorded in 1660–70; poach2 + -er1

Other definitions for poacher (2 of 2)

poacher2
[ poh-cher ]

noun
  1. a pan having a tight-fitting lid and metal cups for steaming or poaching eggs.

  2. any dish or pan used for poaching food, especially a baking dish for poaching fish.

Origin of poacher

2
First recorded in 1860–65; poach1 + -er1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use poacher in a sentence

  • Even the better sort of men who haunt our public-houses are glad to meet and talk with the poachers.

    The Chequers | James Runciman
  • Six regular poachers come daily to The Chequers, but there are many others hanging around who are merely amateurs.

    The Chequers | James Runciman
  • Amidst other things, they said, I believe, that he was out with the poachers the night my brother George was shot!

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • I have strong reason to believe he is in alliance with the poachers.

    A Final Reckoning | G. A. Henty
  • They all had a sad ending, coming to an untimely death through being caught in wires set by poachers for rabbits.

British Dictionary definitions for poacher (1 of 2)

poacher1

/ (ˈpəʊtʃə) /


noun
  1. a person who illegally hunts game, fish, etc, on someone else's property

  2. poacher turned gamekeeper someone whose occupation or behaviour is the opposite of what it previously was, such as a burglar who now advises on home security

British Dictionary definitions for poacher (2 of 2)

poacher2

/ (ˈpəʊtʃə) /


noun
  1. a metal pan with individual cups for poaching eggs

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