1
2
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
you'd better shut up if you don't want a poke on the nose
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the constantly bickering husband and wife seem unable to let five minutes pass without an exchange of gratuitous pokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
chiefly Southern & Midland
as in pouch
a container made of a flexible material (as paper or plastic)
the old warning against buying a pig in a poke
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to interfere
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
told him to stop poking into other people's business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to crawl
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poke
Jenna Anderson, Health, 22 Sep. 2025
The rooftop pool and open-late bars draw a youngish crowd—lots of millennials with stick-and-pokes—of couples and friends, and absolutely zero kids (though the property is dog- and cat- friendly).
—Emily Wilson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
Teaching continued as the children poked pretzels into their mouths.
—Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Noun
Over 3,000 pounds of poke have been recalled from Costco stores in 33 states.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 22 Sep. 2025
The rooftop pool and open-late bars draw a youngish crowd—lots of millennials with stick-and-pokes—of couples and friends, and absolutely zero kids (though the property is dog- and cat- friendly).
—Emily Wilson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
His portraits poked a hole into the romantic mythology of the American West, telling instead a story of poverty and struggle.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
Teaching continued as the children poked pretzels into their mouths.
—Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
Verb
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With handbags seamlessly protruding from skirts, pantyhose covering stacks of massive bangles, doses of hot pink and big fur, the collection was made for social media consumption.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
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Lucas and Simone had been tasked with holding and then removing a protruding piece of a forklift metal prong impaled in a construction worker’s abdomen.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Colorado has interfered in those discussions.—
Megan Schrader,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
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This Ministry frequently interferes in employers’ decisions, instigates acts of discrimination by authorities and organizations, brings weight to bear on the organs of justice and even orchestrates propaganda campaigns in the media.—
Jonny Diamond,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The innovation could pave the way for medical tools that move through the body’s arteries or inspection devices that crawl into complex machinery.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Over three hours, small groups navigate a challenging underground world, scrambling over boulders, belly-crawling through narrow passages, and squeezing through tight spaces to discover hidden marble wonders.—
Heide Brandes,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These robots grow from their tip by turning their skin inside out, a mechanism that enables them to advance without dragging against their surroundings.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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But the movie’s soft-hearted underbelly fails to support that reading, and by the time the story finally arrives at its final moments, the unsparing cynicism that supplied its initial lift has been dragged back down to Earth by the weight of bland truisms.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This cordless hand vacuum tackles messes on furniture, in the car, and all kinds of nooks and crannies thanks to its lightweight, compact design, extra-large dust cup capacity, and accessories like a crevice tool, scrubbing brush, and a self-cleaning pet power brush.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
7 Oct. 2025
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The internet already messed her up pretty good.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chad Molter, executive director of Boulder’s Harvest of Hope Pantry, is also worried about how the lingering government shutdown could surge demand.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
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After seeing consistent playing time following his February 2024 trade from Memphis and hitting a clutch 3-pointer to help Boston win Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals against Dallas, Tillman tumbled down the depth chart in 2024-25, the result of poor shooting and lingering knee issues.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Even though the regular season is creeping closer by the hour and the anticipation of it all is wafting through the city, Charles Lee insists not much has changed.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
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Cold temps may be creeping in, but your travel dreams don’t have to hibernate.—
Kimberly Richardson,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Olympia is still looking for Senior’s mystery woman and decides to snoop through his Rolodex — old school!—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
12 Oct. 2025
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There also are characters straight from the David Lynch school of the bizarre, including the menacing figure who warns Ron to stop snooping around and the bearer of a disturbing story about a manufacturing job that requires being nude.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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