spoke

¹ American  

[spohk] / spoʊk /

verb

1. a simple past tense of speak.

2. Nonstandard. a past participle of speak.

3. Archaic. a past participle of speak.

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spoke ² American  

[spohk] / spoʊk /

noun

1. one of the bars, rods, or rungs radiating from the hub or nave of a wheel and supporting the rim or felloe.

2. something that resembles the spoke of a wheel.

3. a handlelike projection from the rim of a wheel, as a ship's steering wheel.

4. a rung of a ladder.

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verb (used with object)

spoked, spoking

1. to fit or furnish with or as with spokes.

spoke ¹ British  

/ spəʊk /

noun

1. a radial member of a wheel, joining the hub to the rim

2. a radial projection from the rim of a wheel, as in a ship's wheel

3. a rung of a ladder

4. to thwart someone's plans

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verb

1. (tr) to equip with or as if with spokes

spoke ² British  

/ spəʊk /

verb

1. the past tense of speak

2. archaic a past participle of speak

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Other Word Forms

• spokeless adjective

Etymology

Origin of spoke

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English spāca; cognate with Dutch speek, German Speiche

Explanation

A spoke is a bar or rod that connects the center of a wheel to its rim. The purpose of spokes is to support the structure of the wheel. You can jazz up your bike by weaving ribbons between the spokes. Originally, spoke meant "a piece of a split log." When wagon wheels were made of wood, they were formed using these spokes, which were carved into matching shapes. Wheels with spokes were invented around 2000 B.C.E. or even earlier, and they revolutionized travel, making vehicles lighter and faster. Experts believe that spoke shares a root with spike.

Example Sentences

The Times spoke with the core parent-child trio in separate video calls — Pfeiffer and Fanning together from New York City, and Offerman beaming in from London — to talk about the series.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

During a break for lunch, Jon Feinberg, president of the National Police Accountability Project, stepped out of the room and spoke to reporters.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

Six years later, one of their former neighbors in the building spoke out to praise the duo, posting in a TikTok video that she only had “nice things” to say about the celebrity couple.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

The Treasury chief also spoke about the global economy, saying the International Monetary Fund “probably overreacted” in its downgrade of its global economic growth target for this year because of the Middle East conflict.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Hugo spoke to him again, and eventually the man shrugged and indicated for us to go in.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler