poke

²poke

verb

pokedpok·ing

Definition of POKE

transitive verb

1

a (1) : prod, jab <poked him in the ribs> (2) : to urge or stir by prodding or jabbing <poked and scolded by the old folks — Upton Sinclair> (3) : to cause to prod : thrust <poked a stick at the snake> b (1) : pierce, stab (2) : to produce by or as if by piercing, stabbing, or jabbing <poke a hole> <poked holes in his heavily footnoted argument — David Stoll> c (1) : hit, punch <poked him in the nose> (2) : to deliver (a blow) with the fist (3) : to hit (a blooper) in baseball

2

a : to cause to project <poked her head out of the window> b : to make (one's way) by poking <poked his way through the ruins> c : to interpose or interject in a meddlesome manner <asked him not to poke his nose into other people's business>

intransitive verb

1

a : to make a prodding, jabbing, or thrusting movement especially repeatedly b : to strike out at something

2

a : to look about or through something without system : rummage <poking around in the attic> b : meddle

3

: to move or act slowly or aimlessly <just poked around and didn't accomplish much>

4

: to become stuck out or forward : protrude

— poke fun at

: ridicule, mock

Examples of POKE

1. I accidentally poked my finger right through the old fabric.
2. Throwing pencils is not allowed because someone's eye could get poked out.

Origin of POKE

Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch poken to poke

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to POKE

Synonyms: bag, balloon, beetle, belly, billow, bunch, jut, overhang, bulge, pooch [chiefly dialect], pouch, pout, project, protrude, stand out, start, stick out, swell

Antonyms: barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz (or whizz), zip

Related Words: dome; blow up, inflate; dilate, distend, expand; mushroom, snowball; elongate, extend, lengthen, stretch

Near Antonyms: compress, condense, constrict, contract, shrink

see all synonyms and antonyms

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