poke
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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pokes,
present (3rd person singular)
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poked,
past participle, past
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poking
present participle
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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.
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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.
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to thrust or push.
She poked her head out of the window.
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to force, drive, or stir by or as by pushing or thrusting.
He poked the fire up.
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to thrust obtrusively.
The prosecutor kept poking his finger at the defendant.
verb (used without object)
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pokes,
present (3rd person singular)
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poked,
past participle, past
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poking
present participle
-
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.
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to extend or project (often followed byout ).
His handkerchief is poking out of his back pocket.
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to thrust oneself obtrusively.
It's dangerous to poke into something that's none of your business.
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to search curiously; pry (often followed by around orabout ).
When working airport security, you often have to poke around in other people's stuff.
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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
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a thrust or push.
She gave the cake a poke with a toothpick to see if it was done.
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Informal. a slow or dawdling person; slowpoke.
idioms
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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.
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poke fun at, to ridicule or mock, especially covertly or slyly.
In her novel, she pokes fun at her ex-husband.
noun
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Chiefly Midland U.S. and Scot.. a bag or sack, especially a small one.
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a wallet or purse.
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Archaic. a pocket.
noun
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a projecting brim at the front of a bonnet, framing the face.
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Also called poke bonnet. a bonnet or hat with such a brim.
noun
noun
verb
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(tr) to jab or prod, as with the elbow, the finger, a stick, etc
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(tr) to make (a hole, opening, etc) by or as by poking
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to thrust (at)
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informal (tr) to hit with the fist; punch
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to protrude or cause to protrude
don't poke your arm out of the window
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(tr) to stir (a fire, pot, etc) by poking
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(intr) to meddle or intrude
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(intr; often foll by about or around) to search or pry
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to loiter, potter, dawdle, etc
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slang (tr) (of a man) to have sexual intercourse with
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to mock or ridicule
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See nose
noun
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a jab or prod
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short for slowpoke
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informal a blow with one's fist; punch
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slang sexual intercourse
noun
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dialect a pocket or bag
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See pig
noun
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Also called: poke bonnet. a woman's bonnet with a brim that projects at the front, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries
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the brim itself
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pokesimple
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pokessimple
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have pokedperfect
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has pokedperfect
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am pokingprogressive
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are pokingprogressive
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is pokingprogressive
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have been pokingperfect progressive
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has been pokingperfect progressive
Past
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pokedsimple
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had pokedperfect
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was pokingprogressive
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were pokingprogressive
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had been pokingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of poke1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German poken “to thrust, stick with a knife”; see also 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”; cf. 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”
Explanation
A poke is a jab or a sharp push, usually with something thin or pointed, like a finger, a stick, or even an elbow. The main idea behind a poke is a prodding action that creates a depression or hole, as when you poke someone in the ribs with your finger. It can also mean a quick, sharp movement, like when a turtle pokes its head out of its shell. Still, the word often has a less-than-pleasant feeling to it, like something not really dangerous but still annoying. We often say a tolerable experience is "better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick." It can also take on a more figurative meaning — when you "poke your nose into someone else's business," it means that you are intruding in another's private matters.
Vocabulary lists containing poke
Because of Winn-Dixie
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"On the Menu" and "Find the Adaptations"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Watching the stop-motion monsters climb over ruined walls to poke at Greece’s elite soldiers, it’s easy to forgive the movie for its less-than-stellar dubbing or borderline nonsensical love story.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
“How do we make fun of it in an avant-garde, punk, radical way? How do we poke holes at it?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Despite there being “plenty to poke fun at,” they note that it’s tough to dismiss SpaceX given its track record and the potential payoff of its plans.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
“The regime continues to poke and prod, looking for a soft underbelly,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Not like mine, which poke out at all the wrong angles in places.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
A willowy, effervescent presence onstage, in video and in person, Dean pokes fun at herself often.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Sally even pokes fun at their past, comparing their current journey to the previous film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
There’s a single-panel comic by the artist Paul Noth that pokes fun at researchers’ meek attempts.
From Slate ● Jan. 30, 2026
It sometimes occurs when a person sneezes or coughs vigorously, or pokes or rubs their eye.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026
Dylan pulls open the squeaky door and pokes his headout.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Eventually, Abbas poked the pace of Josh Tongue to point before Razaullah was stumped off Lawrence from the final ball of the day to leave Pakistan 453 all out.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Eight years later, “Showgirls” poked fun at the entertainment industry and America’s cultural prudishness.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
The volunteer had barely put down the tomato when a small beak poked out from a bush and dashed towards it in an abandoned garden in fire-ravaged southwest France.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Sheep in the Box” suggests that, not long from now, these psychic wounds may be poked anew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
She was used to being crowded and jostled and poked and prodded and hugged.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Cherki took Phil Foden's pass on the edge of the area, embarking on a slalom run surrounded by four Palace defenders, leaving them helpless before poking a left-foot finish past keeper Dean Henderson.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Investors began to wonder whether it was all too good to be true, and started poking holes in the narrative.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
When I’m analyzing a problem early on, I want to be testing every scenario, poking around for where I could be wrong.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Redick said he was simply poking his head into the situation the way people might turn their heads to gawk at commotion in a bar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
“Dull and boring,” remarked Beowulf, poking his brother.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
