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
Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The Panthers promoted him from the practice squad to the 53-man roster in November to prevent him from being poached from a rival ball club during the season.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026
Cooking methods matter—boiling or poaching eggs keeps them healthy, while frying adds extra calories and fat.
—Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 4 Mar. 2026
Studios are now contending with it in a different way—and even Netflix and Amazon, themselves born out of Big Tech, recognize it as an existential threat, poaching vloggers and video podcasters in a bid for their audiences’ attention.
—Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poach
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Verb
The league’s two expansion teams looked incredible on paper after poaching top players from the inaugural six franchises, but have yet to achieve consistent results this season.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The Panthers promoted him from the practice squad to the 53-man roster in November to prevent him from being poached from a rival ball club during the season.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026
Cooking methods matter—boiling or poaching eggs keeps them healthy, while frying adds extra calories and fat.
—Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 4 Mar. 2026
Studios are now contending with it in a different way—and even Netflix and Amazon, themselves born out of Big Tech, recognize it as an existential threat, poaching vloggers and video podcasters in a bid for their audiences’ attention.
—Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poach
Cite this Entry
“Poach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poach. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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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