Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

poker

1 American  
[poh-ker] / ˈpoʊ kər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that pokes. poke.

  2. a metal rod for poking poke or stirring a fire.

poker 2 American  
[poh-ker] / ˈpoʊ kər /

noun

  1. a card game played by two or more persons, in which the players bet on the value of their hands, the winner taking the pool.

poker 1 British  
/ ˈpəʊkə /

noun

  1. a metal rod, usually with a handle, for stirring a fire

  2. a person or thing that pokes

"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
poker 2 British  
/ ˈpəʊkə /

noun

  1. a card game of bluff and skill in which bets are made on the hands dealt, the highest-ranking hand (containing the most valuable combinations of sequences and sets of cards) winning the pool

"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
poker Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing poker

    • stiff as a board (poker)

Etymology

Origin of poker1

First recorded in 1525–35; poke 1 + -er 1

Origin of poker2

1825–35, perhaps originally braggart, bluffer; compare Middle Low German poken to brag, play, Middle Dutch poken to bluff, brag

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Alex was a beautiful and beleaguered soul, born worried, born romantic, difficult and hopeful and apparently a shockingly good poker player.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

A group of young people sheltered under a thatched hut by the side of the road, absorbed in a game of poker.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

I’m not much good at the poker table, but I believe that’s called a tell.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

Prosecutors alleged Thomas Goldstein, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, evaded taxes from his double life in high-stakes poker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

“I will sleep with the fireplace poker in my hands,” I was telling Aunt Kitty as I plopped down on the lumpy feather bed, the heavy iron bar across my lap.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.