poach

verb (1)

\ˈpōch

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

African Parks assumes day-to-day management of countries' wildlife areas, seeking more efficiency and accountability in the campaign to protect flora and fauna from poaching and habitat depletion. — Christopher Torchia, Fox News, "Backed by Prince Harry, conservation group expands in Africa," 7 July 2018 African Parks assumes day-to-day management of countries’ wildlife areas, seeking more efficiency and accountability in the campaign to protect flora and fauna from poaching and habitat depletion. — Washington Post, "Backed by Prince Harry, conservation group expands in Africa," 7 July 2018 Until now, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte had refrained from poaching for members of his old staff at TCU. — Peter Dawson, star-telegram, "Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte hires former staffer away from TCU," 7 June 2018 Native to the forested mountains of central China, panda populations suffered in the late 20th century from poaching, deforestation and encroaching human development. — Maya Wei-haas, Smithsonian, "Why Photographing Pandas Is More Challenging Than You Might Think," 21 May 2018 Talented creatives need to be kept happy, challenged, compensated and, ideally, far away from poaching competitors. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago's projects on Northerly Island have crumbled; will 'Hamilton: The Exhibition' succeed?," 11 May 2018 Image Detecting the vibrations that elephants create with their feet and vocalizations may be a useful tool to protect them from poaching. — New York Times, "Listening to Elephants With Earthquake-Monitoring Tools," 7 May 2018 Star-shaped and mountainous, the island is uninhabited apart from the birds that were originally brought from New Guinea in 1909 to protect them from poaching. — Melanie Reffes, USA TODAY, "Best Caribbean islands for nature lovers," 9 Apr. 2018 The items on this list are pieces of equipment to guide you in all your egg pursuits from poaching to the crispiest fried egg around. — Zoë Sessums, Bon Appetit, "The 11 Tools You Need to Master Every Egg Recipe," 29 Mar. 2018

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.