poaching

American  

[poh-ching] / ˈpoʊ tʃɪŋ /

noun

1. the illegal practice of trespassing on another's property to hunt or steal game without the landowner's permission.

2. any encroachment on another's property, rights, ideas, or the like.

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Other Word Forms

• antipoaching adjective

Etymology

Origin of poaching

First recorded in 1605–15; poach ² + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Rhino poaching almost doubled in South Africa's Kruger National Park in 2025 compared to the previous year, despite interventions including dehorning and lie detector tests for rangers, the government said Tuesday.

From Barron's

Would his pace and breakdown poaching ability be as effective from the start?

From BBC

“I don’t think there’s anybody else here that’s about to get poached. Maybe the only one would be me, and I’m not poaching myself because I’m not fit for public office.”

From Barron's

His bespectacled, quipping presence lent the show some book-world class, the new medium poaching prestige from the old.

From The Wall Street Journal

Elephant populations have grown in pockets of Africa, such as Kenya and Zimbabwe, due largely to a drop in poaching.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• piracy
• smuggling
• trafficking