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

Kaling is a newbie to food prepping, but she’s taken on some tricky recipes and ingredients, cooking sweet potatoes and string beans, chopping up mango chunks and poaching salmon. — Blake Bakkila, Health.com, "The Meal Prep Trick That Mindy Kaling Swears By," 9 July 2018 Meanwhile, China is tapping into American know-how another way: poaching talent. — Li Yuan, WSJ, "China Mines Silicon Valley for Tech Talent," 26 June 2018 Translocation is also enormously expensive, and securing the parks requires its own massive investment — the group now has the largest counter-poaching force of any private organization on the continent, around 1,000 rangers. — Kevin Sieff, Washington Post, "A 21st-century Noah’s ark transports animals back to places where they’ve been wiped out.," 18 May 2018 Some, like the offices in Seattle and Denver, were located to poach talent from local companies working on technology that Apple prizes. — Mark Gurman, Bloomberg.com, "Apple’s Fourth U.S. Campus: Handicapping Where It Will Go," 7 Mar. 2018 The smooth disk of liver is poached in Cognac and Madeira before being mixed with cream and a little gelatin to produce a spreadable pâté. — Michael Bauer, SFChronicle.com, "Sorrel off to a stellar start in Pacific Heights," 6 July 2018 Growing energy engineering and construction firm McDermott International poached its new second-in-command from rival TechnipFMC. — Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle, "McDermott poaches new COO from rival TechnipFMC," 3 July 2018 West's Lobster Newberg is poached in a butter bath and served with cognac-sherry sauce (market rates). — Joyce Smith, kansascity, "Iconic Savoy restaurant aims for 'throwback' feel with fun, like blue cotton candy," 30 June 2018 In the '80s and '90s, Liuwa was decimated by poaching, the scourge spilling into Zambia during the Angolan War. — Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, "Zambia's King Lewanika Lodge Offers More Than Just Big Five Sightings," 8 May 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.