poached; poaching; poaches
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached; poaching; poaches
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
1
: to trespass on
a field poached too frequently by the amateur—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)2
a
: 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
Verb (1)
poaching fish in a stock flavored with white wine
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Species such as Grant’s gazelles, Thomson’s gazelles, Southern reedbucks, and Impalas are commonly poached for meat, horns (used in traditional medicine and ornaments) and skins.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Initially, Alex Pou worked closely with a Coconut Grove youth-football team, known as the Redskins, whose players were often poached by affluent youth-football leagues from outside the area.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
More than 20 researchers, including Rishabh Agarwal, who was poached by Meta from DeepMind just a few months ago, have left their work at major AI companies to join the startup focused on building AI that accelerates real-world scientific discovery in physics, chemistry, and materials science.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
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Verb
Its generous capacity is perfect for preparing stews and chilis, batch cooking, blanching vegetables, and even poaching.
—Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Species such as Grant’s gazelles, Thomson’s gazelles, Southern reedbucks, and Impalas are commonly poached for meat, horns (used in traditional medicine and ornaments) and skins.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Initially, Alex Pou worked closely with a Coconut Grove youth-football team, known as the Redskins, whose players were often poached by affluent youth-football leagues from outside the area.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
More than 20 researchers, including Rishabh Agarwal, who was poached by Meta from DeepMind just a few months ago, have left their work at major AI companies to join the startup focused on building AI that accelerates real-world scientific discovery in physics, chemistry, and materials science.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
Cite this Entry
“Poach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poach. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poach
1 of 2 verb
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached eggs
poach
2 of 2 verb
: to hunt or fish unlawfully
poacher
noun
Etymology
Verb
Middle English pochen "to boil an egg without its shell so that the white covers the yolk like a bag," from early French pocher (same meaning), from earlier pochier, literally, "to put into a bag," from poche "bag, pocket"
Verb
from early French pocher "to hunt or fish unlawfully"
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