poached; poaching; poaches
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached; poaching; poaches
1
: to encroach upon especially for the purpose of taking something
2
: to trespass for the purpose of stealing game
also
: to take game or fish illegally
1
: to trespass on
a field poached too frequently by the amateur—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)2
a
: to take (game or fish) by illegal methods
b
: to appropriate (something) as one's own
c
: to attract (someone, such as an employee or customer) away from a competitor
Examples of poach in a Sentence
Verb (1)
poaching fish in a stock flavored with white wine
Recent Examples on the Web
Ellen Choi, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
In general, sturgeon aquaculture is a positive solution to poaching, Jahrl and Friedrich said.
—Kylie Williams, Miami Herald, 29 June 2025
In Hispanic America as a whole, a 2024 report documented a total of 1,945 seizures and poaching incidents highlighted by media between 2017 and 2022, impacting at least 102,577 wild animals.
—Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 26 June 2025
The Miami Hurricanes added one of the nation’s top wide receivers to their 2026 recruiting class on Monday, poaching him from a top SEC program.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
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Verb
Zuckerberg’s poaching spree is just the high-stakes version of a much older human truth: transformation is easier to imagine when someone close has already blazed the trail.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
In general, sturgeon aquaculture is a positive solution to poaching, Jahrl and Friedrich said.
—Kylie Williams, Miami Herald, 29 June 2025
In Hispanic America as a whole, a 2024 report documented a total of 1,945 seizures and poaching incidents highlighted by media between 2017 and 2022, impacting at least 102,577 wild animals.
—Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 26 June 2025
The Miami Hurricanes added one of the nation’s top wide receivers to their 2026 recruiting class on Monday, poaching him from a top SEC program.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
Cite this Entry
“Poach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poach. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poach
1 of 2 verb
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached eggs
poach
2 of 2 verb
: to hunt or fish unlawfully
poacher
noun
Etymology
Verb
Middle English pochen "to boil an egg without its shell so that the white covers the yolk like a bag," from early French pocher (same meaning), from earlier pochier, literally, "to put into a bag," from poche "bag, pocket"
Verb
from early French pocher "to hunt or fish unlawfully"
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