poaching

[poh-ching]

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.

Other Word Forms

• antipoaching adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of poaching¹

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

Example Sentences

They also warned that the measure risks spiking eel prices and leading to "increased malicious poaching and smuggling".

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So far, Suzanne Braden reports, poaching has been nearly eliminated—thanks to extreme penalties that can include up to ten years behind bars.

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That need has fueled bidding wars for proven portfolio managers and poachings such as Bhanji’s.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It moved to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and was also active in South Sudan and the CAR, where remnants of the rebels are understood to have engaged in poaching and illegal mining.

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Spreading over dozens of hectares of protected tropical rainforest, Tacugama is home to the critically endangered Western chimpanzee, which is threatened by habitat loss and poaching for bushmeat.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• piracy 
• smuggling www.thesaurus.com
• trafficking