stoke

¹ American  

[stohk] / stoʊk /

verb (used with object)

stokes, present (3rd person singular) stoked, past participle, past stoking present participle

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)

stokes, present (3rd person singular) stoked, past participle, past stoking present participle

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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• stoking
  present
• stoked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stoke
  simple
• stokes
  simple
• have stoked
  perfect
• has stoked
  perfect
• am stoking
  progressive
• are stoking
  progressive
• is stoking
  progressive
• have been stoking
  perfect progressive
• has been stoking
  perfect progressive

Past

• stoked
  simple
• had stoked
  perfect
• was stoking
  progressive
• were stoking
  progressive
• had been stoking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stoke
  simple
• will have stoked
  perfect
• will be stoking
  progressive
• will have been stoking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stoke¹

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

Origin of stoke²

After Sir G. Stokes

Explanation

To stoke is to poke a fire and fuel it so that it burns higher. Stoke can also mean "incite" — a principal's impassive silence in the face of requests for more tater tots might stoke the flames of student anger. When a surfer says, "I am so stoked," it means she is excited — the fire of enthusiasm is burning hotter. It's interesting to reflect on how many words in our language have to do with the tending of fires, an activity that has become much less common in recent human history.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stoke stokes stoked stoking

Skeptics viewed the maneuver as an attempt by the chip maker to stoke demand for its own products.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

They are expected to provide clarity and tamp down unwarranted panic, not stoke conspiracy theories.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

If you fantasize about retiring abroad, stories of blissful expats will only stoke your desire.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

That could stoke market volatility gauges over the coming months, especially under the Fed’s new leadership of Chairman Kevin Warsh, who prefers a tighter communication policy with fewer market signals.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

Germany wanted to stoke unrest there to weaken Britain and distract it from the war in Europe.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

“Geopolitical tension should drive safe-haven buying, but when it spikes oil, it stokes inflation, which pushes the Fed to tighten — and that’s gold’s kryptonite,” he said, referring to gold’s weakness.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

A pattern emerges: The crowd suspects a problem, then Pangram validates the suspicion, stokes the mob, and sells the solution.

From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2026

Stagflation—when economic growth stalls and inflation accelerates—is a growing concern in South Korea, as the fallout from the war stokes upside risks to prices and downside risks to growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

That is likely true, but if the AI-inspired rally has taught us anything, it is that the old rule that uncertainty stokes a selloff doesn’t seem to apply anymore.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025

Bree stokes the small fire and places more pots of tea on the iron rack.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Recent advances by Chinese developers of open models also have stoked fears of cyber and biological risks from those models, which are inexpensive and widely available.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

But frontwoman Kathleen Hanna was just as stoked to see them having a good time in front of her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Meanwhile, Fed governor Christopher Waller stoked concerns over an early interest rate hike as inflation continues to remain elevated.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

“Interest rates picked up this week as the gradual breakdown of the ceasefire with Iran has stoked fears of further inflation and geopolitical instability,” Joel Berner, a senior economist at Realtor.com, said in a statement.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

The fires have been stoked and the ovens left open to disperse the heat.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Higher energy prices quickly reverberated through markets, stoking a selloff in government bonds that sent the yield on the 10-year Treasury note—a barometer for borrowing costs—to the highest level of Trump’s second term.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Oil prices hit $100 a barrel for the first time since May on Thursday after several days of increases, stoking fears of higher inflation and a lower likelihood of interest rate cuts.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Instead of stoking another angry American summer, the Cup gave this nation a badly-needed civic boost.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Last week, Salesforce announced the acquisition of customer-agent company Fin for roughly $3.6 billion, further stoking investor discontent.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

What if, from the beginning, she had soothed the fears of Weep instead of stoking them?

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• feed
• stir