poacher

1 of 2

noun (1)

poach·​er ˈpō-chər 

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

Once the camp is there, the poachers tend to disappear as the risks now outweigh the potential rewards. —Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Kenya’s black rhino population plummeted from 20,000 individuals in the 1970s to fewer than 300 by the 1980s, mirroring the species’ plight across central and eastern Africa as poachers killed the animals for their horns. —Skylar Knight, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025

An alligator that narrowly escaped poachers in Florida was left in an agonizing predicament when a cord cinched to its head began slicing off its nose, a YouTube video shows. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025

To protect a batch of sea turtle eggs from possible poachers, the group rescued them and hatched them in a lab before releasing 100 baby sea turtles into the ocean. —Terry Baddoo, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for poacher

• cloture