poacher

[ poh-cher ]

/ ˈpoʊ tʃər /

noun

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

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.

Nearby words

po-faced, po., poa, poaceous, poach, poacher, poaching, poachy, pob, pobeda peak, poblano

Origin of poacher

First recorded in 1660–70; poach¹ + -er¹

Definition for poacher (2 of 2)

poacher

[ poh-cher ]

/ ˈpoʊ tʃər /

noun

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

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

Origin of poacher

First recorded in 1860–65; poach² + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for poacher

A boy kills a poacher, whereupon his father and grandfather argues about what to do.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 2, 2013|Damaris Colhoun|September 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Instead, he finds a poacher, raises his rifle, and fires a lethal blast.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 2, 2013|Damaris Colhoun|September 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These and a hundred other things must be kept in an unwritten calendar, and only the poacher can keep it.
The Confessions of a Poacher|Anonymous
I almost laughed aloud, for I recognised that it was only a poacher I had to deal with.
Border Ghost Stories|Howard Pease

The poacher boldly confessed that he had killed the gendarme, but he swore that the latter had been taking aim at him.
The Fortune of the Rougons|Emile Zola
The Poacher was bought in his shell—for £3—did I not name that price?
Letters of Edward FitzGerald|Edward FitzGerald
You do not wish to be a masterless man, a hedge-dodger, poacher, or a rogue?
House of Torment|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull

British Dictionary definitions for poacher (1 of 2)

poacher

/ (ˈpəʊtʃə) /

noun

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

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)

poacher

/ (ˈpəʊtʃə) /

noun

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