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poach

verb (1)
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\ ˈpōch How to pronounce poach (audio) \
poached; poaching; poaches

Definition of poach

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to cook in simmering liquid

poach

verb (2)
poached; poaching; poaches

Definition of poach (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to encroach upon especially for the purpose of taking something
2 : to trespass for the purpose of stealing game also : to take game or fish illegally

transitive verb

1 : to trespass on a field poached too frequently by the amateur — The Times Literary Supplement (London)
2a : to take (game or fish) by illegal methods
b : to appropriate (something) as one's own
c : to attract (someone, such as an employee or customer) away from a competitor

Examples of poach in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Ohio State has made an early push to poach talent out of Florida, extending 13 of its 39 offers so far in the class of 2023. — Robert Fenbers, cleveland, "4-star 2022 RB Damari Alston eyeing June’s Buckeye Bash 2.0 for long-awaited visit to Columbus: Buckeyes Recruiting Roundup," 5 Apr. 2021 To poach boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut the chicken in half or thirds crosswise, depending on how large the pieces are. — Katie Workman, Washington Post, "Make a spring Cobb salad the centerpiece of a festive and thrifty Easter brunch," 29 Mar. 2021 Those relationships have kept viewers on Twitch, even when rival platforms poach its most popular streamers. — Nicolás Rivero, Quartz, "Amazon has built an unbreakable monopoly in video game streaming," 28 Mar. 2021 Swayam Bhatia captures nicely the agony of trying to be a good person playing on a great team made up of bad people (Evan wants to poach her from the Ducks for the Don’t Bothers). — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, "Why Lauren Graham and Emilio Estevez can't save cliched 'The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers'," 24 Mar. 2021 Tennessee tried to poach one of Ohio State’s top best assistant coaches on the recruiting trail without success. — Stephen Means, cleveland, "As Texas and USC try to close off their recruiting borders, which states could Ohio State football target next?," 12 Feb. 2021 The Rule 5 draft is conducted annually and allows for teams to poach players from other organizations who are not protected by being on 40-man rosters. — Dallas News, "Texas Rangers select Dodgers prospect Brett de Geus with No. 2 overall pick in MLB Rule 5 draft," 10 Dec. 2020 Other teams' fans are already trying to poach Staff. — Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions and Matthew Stafford are headed for a divorce and fans are literally in pain," 23 Jan. 2021 Tourism had lessened people’s need to poach wildlife for money or food and encouraged them to see animals as an asset rather than a threat. — Rachel Nuwer, Quartz Africa, "Photos: Africa’s nature parks are in the midst of a pandemic-induced conservation crisis," 9 Jan. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'poach.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of poach

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1611, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

History and Etymology for poach

Verb (1)

Middle English pocchen, from Middle French pocher, from Old French poché poached, literally, bagged, from poche bag, pocket — more at pouch

Verb (2)

Middle French pocher, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle English poken to poke

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Time Traveler for poach

Time Traveler

The first known use of poach was in the 15th century

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Statistics for poach

Cite this Entry

“Poach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poach. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for poach

poach

verb
\ ˈpōch How to pronounce poach (audio) \
poached; poaching

Kids Definition of poach

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: to cook slowly in liquid

poach

verb
poached; poaching

Kids Definition of poach (Entry 2 of 2)

: to hunt or fish unlawfully

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More from Merriam-Webster on poach

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for poach

Nglish: Translation of poach for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of poach for Arabic Speakers

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