poke

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈpōk 

1

chiefly Southern US and Midland US : bag, sack

2

a

: wallet

b

: purse

poke

2 of 5

verb

poked; poking

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

3 of 5

noun (2)

1

a

: a quick thrust : jab

b

: a blow with the fist : punch

2

: a projecting brim on the front of a woman's bonnet

3

: a cutting remark : dig

poke

4 of 5

noun (3)

: pokeweed

poke

5 of 5

noun (4)

po·​ke ˌpō-ˈkā 

variants or less commonly poké

: a Hawaiian salad made typically from cubed pieces of raw seafood (such as tuna) marinated with soy sauce and sesame oil and mixed with onions or other ingredients

While Poke Hut will serve burritos, its specialty is poke bowls. Bases include sushi rice or greens, and from there customers choose a protein like raw or marinated tuna or salmon.

—Andy Brownfield

Phrases

poke fun at

: ridicule, mock

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bag
• pouch
• sack

Verb

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

Noun (2)

• dab
• dig
• jab
• lunge

Examples of poke in a Sentence

Verb

I accidentally poked my finger right through the old fabric.

Throwing pencils is not allowed because someone's eye could get poked out.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The poke was cautiously considered and planned to push the corrupted subsystem to work around its corruption. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024

It’s known for its delicious, sashimi-grade poke and other Hawaiian-style snacks. —Ben Davidson, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024

The green onions were confined to the middle, engulfed in fluffy bread that sprang back with the poke of a finger. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024

Less than a half hour before Hendricks County, Indiana, reached totality during the Monday, April 8, solar eclipse, a woman felt a poke on her arm. —Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024

The Oscars controversy was just another poke in the eye. —Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Playing after a gruesome poke in the eye Thursday, Nikola Jokic led Denver with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024

But consider this: multiple shots in one visit means fewer office visits (and fewer pokes and less trauma for your baby). —Rebecca Stewart, Parents, 21 Dec. 2023

DeSantis swipes at his top rivals In his opening remarks at the Florida Freedom Summit, Gov. Ron DeSantis said to get rid of the teleprompters -- an indirect poke at former President Donald Trump, who uses teleprompters when giving remarks. —Abby Cruz, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2023

Verb

Recently Jon Stewart did a segment poking satire at the promises of AI highlighted by tech CEOs. —Himanshu Gupta, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024

During an argument, a man poked at the victim’s eye, scratching it. —Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and secure it with a rubber band, then poke small holes in the plastic wrap. —The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024

Movies Ryan Reynolds reclaims ‘Deadpool 3’ leaks with Steve Urkel, Mickey Mouse edits Dec. 8, 2023 In true Deadpool fashion, Reynolds’ character pokes fun at Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige at the end of the trailer. —Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024

Just behind her, a baby pokes its head out of the foliage and flaps its ears, the video shows. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024

The prosecution will then call witnesses and introduce evidence, while Trump's team tries to poke holes in the prosecution's case. —Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024

The dress featured black cups poking out at the top to maximize the bombshell effect. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024

Kourtney shared a cheeky photo poking fun at Kim, by reviving an old joke from Keeping Up with the Kardashians in her April 7 Instagram caption. —Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French — more at pocket

Verb

Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch poken to poke

Noun (3)

perhaps modification of Virginia Algonquian pocone, poughkone puccoon

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Noun (2)

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (3)

1708, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1977, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing poke

• a pig in a poke
• pig in a poke
• poke about
• poke along
• poke around
• poke fun at
• stick and poke
• stick/poke one's nose in/into

Kids Definition

poke

1 of 3 noun

ˈpōk 

chiefly Southern & Midland

: bag entry 1 sense 1a, sack

poke

2 of 3 verb

poked; poking

1

a

: jab, prod

poke a stick at a snake

poked me in the ribs

b

: thrust entry 1 sense 2, stab

c

: to produce by piercing, stabbing, or jabbing

poke a hole

2

: to stick out or cause to stick out

poked her head out the window

3

: to be nosy especially about things that do not concern one

4

: to search over or through usually without purpose : rummage

poking around in the attic

5

: to move slowly or lazily

they were just poking along home

poke

3 of 3 noun

: a quick thrust : jab

Etymology

Noun

Middle English poke "bag, sack," from an early French dialect word poke (same meaning)

Verb

Middle English poken "to jab, prod"