poke

[ pohk ]

/ poʊk /

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See synonyms for: poke / poking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), poked, pok·ing.

to prod or push, especially with something narrow or pointed, as a finger, elbow, stick, etc.: to poke someone in the ribs.

to make (a hole, one's way, etc.) by or as by prodding or pushing.

to thrust or push: She poked her head out of the window.

to force, drive, or stir by or as by pushing or thrusting: He poked the fire up.

to thrust obtrusively: The prosecutor kept poking his finger at the defendant.

verb (used without object), poked, pok·ing.

to make a pushing or thrusting movement with the finger, a stick, etc.

to extend or project (often followed by out): His handkerchief is poking out of his back pocket.

to thrust oneself obtrusively: to poke into something that is not one's affair.

to search curiously; pry (often followed by around or about).

to go or proceed in a slow or aimless way (often followed by along).

noun

a thrust or push.

Informal. a slow or dawdling person; slowpoke.

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Idioms about poke

poke fun at, to ridicule or mock, especially covertly or slyly: In her novel, she pokes fun at her ex-husband.

poke one's nose into, Informal. to meddle in; pry into: We felt as if half the people in town were poking their noses into our lives.

Origin of poke

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German poken “to thrust, stick with a knife”; see also poach¹

OTHER WORDS FROM poke

pok·a·ble, adjective

Other definitions for poke (2 of 5)

poke²

[ pohk ]

/ poʊk /

noun

Chiefly Midland U.S. and Scot.. a bag or sack, especially a small one.

a wallet or purse.

Archaic. a pocket.

Origin of poke

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Middle Dutch, whence also Old North French poque, French poche “bag, pocket”; cf. poach², pocket, pouch

Other definitions for poke (3 of 5)

poke³

[ pohk ]

/ poʊk /

noun

a projecting brim at the front of a bonnet, framing the face.

Also called poke bonnet. a bonnet or hat with such a brim.

Origin of poke

First recorded in 1760–70; apparently special use of poke¹

Other definitions for poke (4 of 5)

poke⁴

[ pohk ]

/ poʊk /

noun

pokeweed.

Origin of poke

⁴

First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps shortening of obsolete pocan “pokeweed,” perhaps variant of puccoon (pokeberries and puccoon roots were both sources of red dye)

Other definitions for poke (5 of 5)

poke⁵

[ poh-key ]

/ poʊˈkeɪ /

noun

a Hawaiian salad of cubed raw tuna mixed with diced sweet onion and scallion and marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil.

Origin of poke

⁵

First recorded in 1975–80; from Hawaian: literally, “to slice crosswise, section, a section”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use poke in a sentence

But, as the people of Irving are now discovering, all of this poking and prodding is not without potential consequences.
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Poking out of the shiny gold pages is a “distinctive silk marker”—also gold—which “complements the color of the leather.”
Rand Paul’s Many Leather-Bound Books|Olivia Nuzzi|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The painting is of a human heart set inside a wind-up music box that has a metal rod poking out of the pulmonary artery.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The modest eating area has more than a dozen tables, each punctuated by a small porcelain vase with a plastic flower poking out.
The Secret Soviet Power Bunker—in Latvia, a Hiding Place for the Elite|Brandon Presser|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“The One With the Giant Poking Device” Ugly Naked Guy was a brilliant running joke on Friends.
15 Times ‘Friends’ Was Really, Really Weird|Kevin Fallon|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mademoiselle was poking at a rusty stove that smoked a little and warmed the room indifferently.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
“Yes—tea,” answered the traveller with the keen grey eyes, turning, and poking the fire with the heel of his boot.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
Had the automatic snout poking through the steel grille of the rear of the cage.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
She doesn't hold with Lords poking their noses into people's kitchens, anyway.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 152, May 16, 1917.|Various
He was plugging the hole himself with a mixture of butter and cow dung which he was poking in with a stick!
The Cradle of Mankind|W.A. Wigram

British Dictionary definitions for poke (1 of 4)

poke¹

/ (pəʊk) /

verb

(tr) to jab or prod, as with the elbow, the finger, a stick, etc

(tr) to make (a hole, opening, etc) by or as by poking

(when intr, often foll by at) to thrust (at)

(tr) informal to hit with the fist; punch

(usually foll by in, out, out of, through, etc) to protrude or cause to protrudedon't poke your arm out of the window

(tr) to stir (a fire, pot, etc) by poking

(intr) to meddle or intrude

(intr; often foll by about or around) to search or pry

(intr often foll by along) to loiter, potter, dawdle, etc

(tr) slang (of a man) to have sexual intercourse with

poke fun at to mock or ridicule

poke one's nose into See nose (def. 17)

noun

a jab or prod

short for slowpoke

informal a blow with one's fist; punch

slang sexual intercourse

Word Origin for poke

C14: from Low German and Middle Dutch poken to thrust, prod, strike

British Dictionary definitions for poke (2 of 4)

poke²

/ (pəʊk) /

noun

dialect a pocket or bag

a pig in a poke See pig (def. 9)

Word Origin for poke

C13: from Old Northern French poque, of Germanic origin; related to Old English pocca bag, Old Norse poki pouch, Middle Dutch poke bag; compare poach ²

British Dictionary definitions for poke (3 of 4)

poke³

/ (pəʊk) /

noun

Also called: poke bonnet a woman's bonnet with a brim that projects at the front, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries

the brim itself

Word Origin for poke

C18: from poke 1 (in the sense: to thrust out, project)

British Dictionary definitions for poke (4 of 4)

poke⁴

/ (pəʊk) /

noun

short for pokeweed

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with poke

poke

In addition to the idioms beginning with poke

poke around
poke fun at
poke one's nose into

also see:

make fun of (poke fun at)
pig in a poke
take a poke at

poke

Idioms about poke

Origin of poke

OTHER WORDS FROM poke

Other definitions for poke (2 of 5)

Origin of poke

Other definitions for poke (3 of 5)

Origin of poke

Other definitions for poke (4 of 5)

Origin of poke

Other definitions for poke (5 of 5)

Origin of poke

Words related to poke

How to use poke in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for poke (1 of 4)

Word Origin for poke

British Dictionary definitions for poke (2 of 4)

Word Origin for poke

British Dictionary definitions for poke (3 of 4)

Word Origin for poke

British Dictionary definitions for poke (4 of 4)

Other Idioms and Phrases with poke