stoke

¹ American  

[stohk] / stoʊk /

verb (used with object)

stoked, stoking

1. to poke, stir up, and feed (a fire).

2. to tend the fire of (a furnace, especially one used with a boiler to generate steam for an engine); supply with fuel.

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verb (used without object)

stoked, stoking

1. to shake up the coals of a fire.

2. to tend a fire or furnace.

stoke ² American  

[stohk] / stoʊk /

noun

Physics.

1. a unit of kinematic viscosity, equal to the viscosity of a fluid in poises divided by the density of the fluid in grams per cubic centimeter.

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stoke British  

/ stəʊk /

verb

1. to feed, stir, and tend (a fire, furnace, etc)

2. (tr) to tend the furnace of; act as a stoker for

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Etymology

Origin of stoke¹

1675–85; < Dutch stoken to feed or stock a fire; stock

Origin of stoke²

After Sir G. Stokes

Example Sentences

That’s how fast the central bank thought the U.S. could expand without stoking inflation.

From MarketWatch

“While I’m stoked that Illinois has a real shot, I want to avoid any kind of motivated cognition.”

From The Wall Street Journal

A war that threatens to stoke inflation sounds like a no-brainer for gold.

From The Wall Street Journal

TOKYO—Foreign-exchange markets are back on yen intervention watch, as the worsening conflict in the Middle East stokes anxiety about Japan’s energy-dependent economy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Oil prices jumped, while equities and government bonds fell across the board as continued hostilities stoked fears of an energy-driven inflation shock that could force central banks to raise interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• feed
• stir