stoke

verb

ˈstōk 

stoked; stoking

transitive verb

1

: to poke or stir up (a fire, flames, etc.) : supply with fuel

2

: to feed abundantly

3

: to increase the activity, intensity, or amount of

limiting the number of cars available … will help stoke demand for the car

—Keith Naughton

intransitive verb

: to stir up or tend a fire (as in a furnace) : supply a furnace with fuel

Synonyms

• increase
• accelerate
• expand
• boost
• augment
• raise

Examples of stoke in a Sentence

The engineer stoked the coals.

The new ad campaign has helped to stoke sales.

Poor revenue figures have stoked concerns about possible layoffs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Enthusiasm about artificial intelligence had stoked bubble concerns but also contributed to the market’s ascent. —John Towfighi, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025

So far, though, nothing is stoking much movement to end a shutdown. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2025

How those districts are drawn can shape the outcome, stoking accusations of gerrymandering — drawing district boundaries to advantage one party over another. —Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025

The threat of mounting risk comes as a hiring slowdown stokes recession fears and inflation proves difficult to fully contain. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Dutch stoken; akin to Middle Dutch stuken to push

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for stoke

• bloke
• boeck
• broke
• choke
• cloak
• cloke
• croak
• folk
• hoke
• joke
• moke
• oak

Kids Definition

stoke

verb

ˈstōk 

stoked; stoking

1

: to stir up or tend (as a fire)

2

: to supply (as a furnace) with fuel

3

: to feed plentifully

stoker noun

Medical Definition

stoke

noun

ˈstōk 

: the cgs unit of kinematic viscosity being that of a fluid which has a viscosity of one poise and a density of one gram per cubic centimeter