poach

[ pohch ]

/ poʊtʃ /

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See synonyms for: poach / poaching on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to trespass, especially on another's game preserve, in order to steal animals or to hunt.

to take game or fish illegally.

(of land) to become broken up or slushy by being trampled.

(in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) to play a ball hit into the territory of one's partner that is properly the partner's ball to play.

Informal. to cheat in a game or contest.

verb (used with object)

to trespass on (private property), especially in order to hunt or fish.

to steal (game or fish) from another's property.

to take without permission and use as one's own: to poach ideas; a staff poached from other companies.

to break or tear up by trampling.

to mix with water and reduce to a uniform consistency, as clay.

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Origin of poach

1520–30; earlier: to shove, thrust <Middle French pocher to gouge <Germanic; akin to poke¹

OTHER WORDS FROM poach

poach·a·ble, adjective

Other definitions for poach (2 of 2)

poach²

[ pohch ]

/ poʊtʃ /

verb (used with object)

to cook (eggs, fish, fruits, etc.) in a hot liquid that is kept just below the boiling point.

Origin of poach

1350–1400; Middle English poche<Middle French pocher literally, to bag (the yolk inside the white), derivative of poche bag (French poche pocket) <Middle Dutch pokepoke²

OTHER WORDS FROM poach

poach·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use poach in a sentence

When I’ve made this dessert, I usually reduce the liquid I've used to poach the pears down a bit, so it becomes a rich syrup to pour over the pears and ice cream.
This cocktail can keep you warm around the fire pit — and you can make it there, too|M. Carrie Allan|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
The first community-led project, called Human Presence Detection, will alert park rangers of poaching risk using audio sampling to detect human presence in areas where humans are not supposed to be.
Can artificial intelligence give elephants a winning edge?|Walter Thompson|November 20, 2020|TechCrunch
Barber got her first taste of the startup world when she was poached from McKinsey to join one of the several online pet supply stores that cropped up in 1999.
Venture firm M13 names former Techstars LA managing director, Anna Barber, as its newest partner|Jonathan Shieber|November 12, 2020|TechCrunch
As the mix bubbles over an open burner, small shrimp are tossed in to cook for a few minutes before an egg is quickly poached or scrambled in the brew.
Five Must-Try Dishes in Casablanca, Morocco|Amanda Ponzio-Mouttaki|November 11, 2020|Eater

Lobster poached in butter and arranged with fennel puree and baby carrots is delicious if routine.
A reopened Marcel’s reminds me that fine dining, especially now, is about more than food|Tom Sietsema|November 6, 2020|Washington Post
Last year, rhinos were killed at a rate of three per day—astonishing when compared to the six total rhinos poached in 2000.
South Africa’s Great Rhino Airlift|Nina Strochlic|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are poached instead of hard-boiled, boasting anti-heroes with nihilistic worldviews who are nevertheless vulnerable.
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’|Jimmy So|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If elephant, rhino, and other African wildlife are poached to extinction, tourism will dry up.
Borana Joins the Fight to Save Kenya’s Rhinos…and Wants You to Help Too|Joanna Eede|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mired in scandal, the Vatican poached an American Fox News journalist to handle communications.
Greg Burke: The Pope’s New PR Guy|Barbie Latza Nadeau|June 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Both are being mercilessly and illegally poached at a rate not seen for decades.
William: We Must Not Let Lions Disappear|Tom Sykes|April 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Sift the whole through a fine cloth and add the yolks of a hundred poached eggs.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 152, May 16, 1917.|Various
By-and-by the coffee, the rolls and butter, and the poached eggs appeared.
Sue, A Little Heroine|L. T. Meade
This morning I was really ill at last; had hardly any breakfast; simply couldn't look a poached in the yolk.
Happy Days|Alan Alexander Milne
For instance, eggs should not be cooked at a higher temperature in making desserts than when they are being poached.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Her lamps had a wistful look—a look as innocent and helpless as that with which poached eggs gaze up at you before they die.
Bizarre|Lawton Mackall

British Dictionary definitions for poach (1 of 2)

poach¹

/ (pəʊtʃ) /

verb

to catch (game, fish, etc) illegally by trespassing on private property

to encroach on or usurp (another person's rights, duties, etc) or steal (an idea, employee, etc)

tennis badminton to take or play (shots that should belong to one's partner)

to break up (land) into wet muddy patches, as by riding over it, or (of land) to become broken up in this way

(intr) (of the feet, shoes, etc) to sink into heavy wet ground

Word Origin for poach

C17: from Old French pocher, of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch poken to prod; see poke 1

British Dictionary definitions for poach (2 of 2)

poach²

/ (pəʊtʃ) /

verb

to simmer (eggs, fish, etc) very gently in water, milk, stock, etc

Word Origin for poach

C15: from Old French pochier to enclose in a bag (as the yolks are enclosed by the whites); compare poke ²

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

poach

Origin of poach

OTHER WORDS FROM poach

Other definitions for poach (2 of 2)

Origin of poach

OTHER WORDS FROM poach

Words related to poach

How to use poach in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for poach (1 of 2)

Word Origin for poach

British Dictionary definitions for poach (2 of 2)

Word Origin for poach