poaching

[ poh-ching ]

/ ˈpoʊ tʃɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR poaching ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

Nearby words

Origin of poaching

First recorded in 1605–15; poach¹ + -ing¹

Related formsan·ti·poach·ing, adjective

poach

[ pohch ]

/ poʊtʃ /

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.

Origin of poach

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

Related formspoach·a·ble, adjective

poach

[ 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 poke poke²

Related formspoach·a·ble, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for poaching

Now poaching is on the rise and wildlife conservation in peril.
Ebola Could Deal a Death Blow to Africa’s Wildlife|Brandon Presser|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We are reaching a point where deaths from poaching and natural mortality are overtaking the birth rate,” Cathy Dean said.
Borana Joins the Fight to Save Kenya’s Rhinos…and Wants You to Help Too|Joanna Eede|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hillary Clinton has made the end of poaching her cause célèbre since leaving office.
Clinton Unites African Leaders in Her Crusade Against Poaching|Nina Strochlic|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sarkozy has looked to repeat his 2007 feat of poaching far-right support, while paying lip service to the centrists he needs.
Against All Odds, Can Sarkozy Pull Out an Election Win vs. Hollande?|Tracy McNicoll|May 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He suspected that the driver, who was identified as Cody Alan Legebokoff, was poaching in the backwoods.
A Teen Serial Killer in Canada?|Christine Pelisek|October 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The head master held poaching to be the deadliest of sins, and poaching on Fernwood especially heinous.
The Arrival of Jimpson|Ralph Henry Barbour
Every one of these poaching fellows has the hunter's instinct strongly developed, and neither fines nor gaol can frighten them.
The Chequers|James Runciman
In poaching, as in everything else, there are varieties of taste, and degrees of superiority.
Le Morvan, [A District of France,] Its Wild Sports, Vineyards and Forests; with Legends, Antiquities, Rural and Local Sketches|Henri de Crignelle
They pretend there's a right of way along the cliffs, and it's nothing on earth but an excuse for poaching.
A Fortunate Term|Angela Brazil
I need hardly say that in a long life of poaching there were many occasions when I was brought to book.
The Confessions of a Poacher|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for poaching

poach

/ (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

poach

/ (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

Word Origin and History for poaching

poach

v.1

"steal game," 1520s, "to push, poke," from Middle French pocher "to thrust, poke," from Old French pochier "poke out, gouge, prod, jab," from a Germanic source (cf. Middle High German puchen "to pound, beat, knock," German pochen, Middle Dutch boken "to beat") related to poke (v.). Sense of "trespass for the sake of stealing" is first attested 1610s, perhaps via notion of "thrusting" oneself onto another's property, or perhaps from French pocher "to pocket" (see poach (v.2)). Related: Poached; poaching.

poach

v.2

"cook in liquid," early 15c., from Old French poché, past participle of pochier (12c.), literally "put into a pocket" (as the white of an egg forms a pocket for the yolk), from poche "bag, pocket," from Frankish *pokka "bag," from Proto-Germanic *puk- (see poke (n.)). Related: Poached; poaching.

poaching

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of poaching

poach

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Origin of poach

poach

verb (used with object)

Origin of poach

Examples from the Web for poaching

poach

verb

Word Origin for poach

poach

verb

Word Origin for poach

poach

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