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Origin and Etymology of poke
Definition of poke
poked;
poking
transitive verb
2 a
:to cause to project
- poked her head out of the window
b
:to make (one's way) by poking
- poked his way through the ruins
c
:to interpose or interject in a meddlesome manner
- asked him not to poke his nose into other people's business
intransitive verb
1 a
:to make a prodding, jabbing, or thrusting movement especially repeatedly
b
:to strike out at something
2 a
:to look about or through something without system :rummage
- poking around in the attic
b
:meddle
3
:to move or act slowly or aimlessly
- just poked around and didn't accomplish much
4
:to become stuck out or forward :protrude
Examples of poke in a Sentence
I accidentally poked my finger right through the old fabric.
Throwing pencils is not allowed because someone's eye could get poked out.
Origin and Etymology of poke
Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch poken to poke
poke Synonyms
Synonyms
bag, balloon, beetle, belly, billow, bunch, jut, overhang, bulge, pooch [chiefly dialect], pouch, pout, project, protrude, stand out, start, stick out, swellAntonyms
barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz (or whizz), zipRelated Words
dome; blow up, inflate; dilate, distend, expand; mushroom, snowball; elongate, extend, lengthen, stretchNear Antonyms
compress, condense, constrict, contract, shrinkFirst Known Use of poke
1690
Origin and Etymology of poke
perhaps modification of Virginia Algonquian pocone, poughkone puccoon
POKE Defined for English Language Learners
poke
verb
Definition of poke for English Language Learners
-
: to push your finger or something thin or pointed into or at someone or something
-
: to make (a hole) in something by pushing something sharp or pointed through or into it
-
: to stick out so that a part can be seen
POKE Defined for Kids
Definition of poke for Students
poked;
poking
1
:to push something usually thin or sharp into or at
- I poked the mud with a stick.
2
:to make by stabbing or piercing
- The pen poked a hole in my bag.
3
:to thrust or stick out or cause to thrust or stick out
- Mom poked her head inside Judy's room again.
- —Megan McDonald, Judy Moody
4
:to search through or look around often without purpose
- We were poking around in the attic.
5
:to move slowly or lazily
Learn More about poke
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See words that rhyme with poke Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for poke Spanish Central: Translation of poke Nglish: Translation of poke for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of poke for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poke
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