poach

\ ˈpōch

How to pronounce poach (audio)

\

poached; poaching; poaches

Definition of poach

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to cook in simmering liquid

poach

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 Hiring from a neighboring state like Colorado, though, could mean Colorado hospitals would poach from Utah. — Dallas News, "Some COVID-19 traveling nurses are making $8,000 a week," 4 Dec. 2020 Hiring from a neighboring state like Colorado, though, could mean Colorado hospitals would poach from Utah. — Markian Hawryluk, Quartz, "Inside the cutthroat bidding war for Covid-19 nurses," 1 Dec. 2020 Hiring from a neighboring state like Colorado, though, could mean Colorado hospitals would poach from Utah. — Markian Hawryluk, Quartz, "Inside the cutthroat bidding war for Covid-19 nurses," 1 Dec. 2020 Alberto didn’t just poach Michelle from her prior guild. — Elizabeth Landau, Wired, "They Found Community, and Then Love, in Online Games," 1 Dec. 2020 Hiring from a neighboring state like Colorado, though, could mean Colorado hospitals would poach from Utah. — Dallas News, "Some COVID-19 traveling nurses are making $8,000 a week," 4 Dec. 2020 Clinton had failed to do so in key battleground states four years ago, and Trump intended to replicate his own strategy of trying to poach the gettable Bernie voters and demoralize the others. — W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, "How the Biden coalition could come unglued," 3 Dec. 2020 Hiring from a neighboring state like Colorado, though, could mean Colorado hospitals would poach from Utah. — Markian Hawryluk, Quartz, "Inside the cutthroat bidding war for Covid-19 nurses," 1 Dec. 2020 Urban development has wiped out their habitat, and invasive predators including crayfish, nonnative frogs and largemouth bass compete for resources and poach the quarter-sized turtle hatchlings. — Deborah Sullivan Brennan, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Rescued pond turtles take shelter at San Diego Zoo," 29 Nov. 2020

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.

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Dictionary Entries near poach

poach on someone's territory/turf

Statistics for poach

Cite this Entry

“Poach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poach. Accessed 23 Jan. 2021.

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