poacher

1 of 2

noun (1)

poach·​er ˈpō-chər How to pronounce poacher (audio)
1
: one that trespasses or steals
2
: one who kills or takes wild animals (such as game or fish) illegally

poacher

2 of 2

noun (2)

1
: a covered pan containing a plate with depressions or shallow cups in each of which an egg can be cooked over steam rising from boiling water in the bottom of the pan
2
: a baking dish in which food (such as fish) can be poached

Examples of poacher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Two other poachers, Jose Plascencia of Dayton and Axel Guell of St. Helens, were also sentenced. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 28 Feb. 2024 But travelling such a long way means encountering threats that can be fatal: fishing nets intended for other species, poachers, pollution and waters warmed by the climate crisis, which force the turtles to travel even further to find their prey. Angela Dewan, CNN, 12 Feb. 2024 The geneticists also want to engineer a mammoth with no tusks, so the animals don’t fall prey to poachers. Katie Hunt, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Earlier this month, two poachers pled guilty to killing a bull moose in an Alaskan National Park back in September of 2021. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024 Rhino poaching often involves international criminal syndicates which rely on the help of local poachers and collude with park rangers. Reuters, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 The discovery of a dead desert bighorn sheep near an Arizona field has set off a search for the poacher, wildlife officials said. Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 12 Feb. 2024 If Vlahović’s first was somewhat fortuitous, his second — nine minutes later — was a poacher’s goal. Daniella Matar, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024 The detail—by some counts the town’s largest agency, and the only one for which jobs do not rotate every three years—is tasked with all security, manning the checkpoints, guarding against poachers, and even punishing public drunkenness. Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poacher.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

poach entry 2

Noun (2)

poach entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of poacher was in 1574

Cite this Entry

“Poacher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poacher. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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