poacher

[poh-cher]

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.

Origin of poacher

First recorded in 1660–70; poach¹ + -er¹

poacher

[poh-cher]

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for poacher

Contemporary Examples of 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
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

Historical Examples of poacher

Perhaps she recognised in him a faint resemblance to Macquart the poacher.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
"Why, it's the story of the poacher that she's telling us," he whispered.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
"Ay, I thought it was a poacher," interrupted Standish dryly.
Standish of Standish
Jane G. Austin
"I—I reckon we'll call it Providence, all the same," said the poacher.
Two Sides of the Face
Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
Into the poacher's eyes there crept his habitual shifty smile.
Two Sides of the Face
Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for poacher

poacher

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

poacher

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

Word Origin and History for poacher

1660s, "one who poaches game," agent noun from poach (v.1). Attested from 1846 as "vessel for poaching eggs," from poach (v.2).