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

Kirk's killing, and its aftermath, have stoked deep divisions across the country at a time when political violence was already on the rise. —Connor Greene, Time, 17 Sep. 2025

The charges come five days after 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was taken into custody in connection with the grisly killing that shocked the nation and stoked fears of more political violence. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025

Outside, Ali stood on top of a car and stoked the nascent mob, promising them a fight at a rec center a few miles away. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025

But that hasn’t stopped the current season from becoming a must-watch event, stoked by its weekly-release format. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 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