poke
1[ pohk ]
/ poʊk /
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verb (used with object), poked, pok·ing.
verb (used without object), poked, pok·ing.
noun
a thrust or push.
Informal. a slow or dawdling person; slowpoke.
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Idioms for 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
1First 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, adjectiveDefinition 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.
Definition 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
3First recorded in 1760–70; apparently special use of poke1
Definition for poke (4 of 5)
Origin of poke
4First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps shortening of obsolete pocan “pokeweed,” perhaps variant of puccoon (pokeberries and puccoon roots were both sources of red dye)
Definition 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
5First 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. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for poke
British Dictionary definitions for poke (1 of 4)
poke1
/ (pəʊk) /
verb
noun
Word Origin for poke
C14: from Low German and Middle Dutch poken to thrust, prod, strike
British Dictionary definitions for poke (2 of 4)
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)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with poke
poke
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.