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poky

[ poh-kee ]
/ ˈpoʊ ki /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR poky ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, pok·i·er, pok·i·est. Informal.

puttering; slow; dull: poky drivers.
(of a place) small and cramped: a poky little room.
(of dress) dowdy.

noun, plural pok·ies.

Slang. a jail: They put him in the poky for carrying a concealed weapon.

RELATED WORDS

small, confined, shabby

Nearby words

poker-faced, pokerwork, pokeweed, pokey, pokie, poky, pokémon, pol, pol pot, pol., pol. econ.

Origin of poky

First recorded in 1840–50; poke1 + -y1
Related formspok·i·ly, adverbpok·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for poky

British Dictionary definitions for poky

poky

pokey

/ (ˈpəʊkɪ) /

adjective pokier or pokiest

informal (esp of rooms) small and cramped
without speed or energy; slow

noun

the poky mainly US and Canadian slang prison
Derived Formspokily, adverbpokiness, noun

Word Origin for poky

C19: from poke 1 (in slang sense: to confine)
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 poky

poky

adj.

also pokey, 1828, "confined, pinched, shabby," later (1856) "slow, dull;" from varied senses of poke (v.) + -y (2). Also cf. poke (n.3). Related: Pokily; pokiness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper