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

In 2016, the first 18 months that new tactics were deployed, poaching fell by 96 per cent. — Helena Pozniak, Popular Mechanics, "The Technology That Will Finally Stop Poachers," 26 Nov. 2018 The conservationist group also said there’s an increase in poaching in Botswana simply because that’s where the remaining elephants in the continent are. — Lukas Mikelionis, Fox News, "Nearly 90 elephants slain in Botswana amid anti-poaching unit disarmament," 18 Sep. 2018 Rival parties complain that Labour poaches their brightest politicians. — The Economist, "Wales, a one-party state, prepares for a transition of power," 26 Apr. 2018 Dave Cobb Bradley Cooper poached the legendary Nashville producer (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Zac Brown) to help lead his character Jackson Maine’s sound in the film. — Nick Williams, Harper's BAZAAR, "A Star Is Born," 30 Oct. 2018 This new generation of transit companies is poaching employees from Uber and Lyft. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Scooter companies, seeking to shape regulations, hire transit advocates," 17 Oct. 2018 More than 1,000 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2017, statistics from the South African government show. — USA TODAY, "Pride of lions eat suspected 'rhino poachers' on South African game reserve," 5 July 2018 The photos had apparently been poached by the scammers. — Sean P. Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, "Ripped off by phantom rentals on Craigslist," 23 June 2018 What Our Tasters Said: Testers couldn't guess which was egg was poached in the microwave at a first glance. — Gabriella Vigoreaux, Good Housekeeping, "We Tried It: Microwaved Eggs — Do They Actually Taste Good?," 17 Apr. 2015

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.