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
Kate Rooney, CNBC, 19 June 2025
Altman said that Meta’s attempts to poach his staff have failed, at least so far.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Rather than poaching staff, the group becomes a magnet for ambitious professionals who want responsibility and support.
—Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Phaedra tells Cynthia and Porsha that the genesis of the iciness between Brit and Kelli, something Angela and Drew also noted in their respective kiki, involves Brit allegedly trying to poach Kelli’s glam squad.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Andrej Sokolow | Picture Alliance | Getty Images When Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg poached Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang last week as part of a $14.3 billion investment in the artificial intelligence startup, he was apparently just getting started.
—Kate Rooney, CNBC, 19 June 2025
Altman said that Meta’s attempts to poach his staff have failed, at least so far.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Rather than poaching staff, the group becomes a magnet for ambitious professionals who want responsibility and support.
—Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Phaedra tells Cynthia and Porsha that the genesis of the iciness between Brit and Kelli, something Angela and Drew also noted in their respective kiki, involves Brit allegedly trying to poach Kelli’s glam squad.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 16 June 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 26 Jun. 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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