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 of stoke

• 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

Rates have been mostly rising this year as the conflict in Iran has driven crude oil prices sharply higher, stoking expectations of hotter inflation. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi intends to increase deficit spending to spark economic growth, but risks stoking inflation further. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 July 2026

China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies’ listing on Monday is stoking fears amongst investors that its market debut could pull cash from Chinese equities, as investors raise funds to get a piece of the country’s largest memory chipmaker. — Sean Conlon,joseph Wilkins,justina Lee,lee Ying Shan,fred Imbert, CNBC, 23 July 2026

An increase in cyclosporiasis - a parasitic illness that has gone viral for its symptoms of explosive bowel movements - has stoked fears across the country as cases continue to grow. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 22 July 2026

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