poked; poking
1
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
1
a
: to make a prodding, jabbing, or thrusting movement especially repeatedly
b
: to strike out at something
2
3
: to move or act slowly or aimlessly
just poked around and didn't accomplish much
4
: to become stuck out or forward : protrude
variants
or less commonly poké
: a Hawaiian salad made typically from cubed pieces of raw seafood (such as tuna) marinated with soy sauce and sesame oil and mixed with onions or other ingredients
While Poke Hut will serve burritos, its specialty is poke bowls. Bases include sushi rice or greens, and from there customers choose a protein like raw or marinated tuna or salmon.—
Andy Brownfield
Andy BrownfieldSynonyms
Examples of poke in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the old warning against buying a pig in a poke
Verb
I accidentally poked my finger right through the old fabric.
Throwing pencils is not allowed because someone's eye could get poked out.
Noun (2)
please stop giving the cat pokes while it's trying to sleep
you'd better shut up if you don't want a poke on the nose
the constantly bickering husband and wife seem unable to let five minutes pass without an exchange of gratuitous pokes
Recent Examples on the WebSam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
It’s known for its delicious, sashimi-grade poke and other Hawaiian-style snacks.
—Ben Davidson, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
The green onions were confined to the middle, engulfed in fluffy bread that sprang back with the poke of a finger.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024
Less than a half hour before Hendricks County, Indiana, reached totality during the Monday, April 8, solar eclipse, a woman felt a poke on her arm.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The Oscars controversy was just another poke in the eye.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Playing after a gruesome poke in the eye Thursday, Nikola Jokic led Denver with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024
But consider this: multiple shots in one visit means fewer office visits (and fewer pokes and less trauma for your baby).
—Rebecca Stewart, Parents, 21 Dec. 2023
DeSantis swipes at his top rivals In his opening remarks at the Florida Freedom Summit, Gov. Ron DeSantis said to get rid of the teleprompters -- an indirect poke at former President Donald Trump, who uses teleprompters when giving remarks.
—Abby Cruz, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2023
Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
When the soil was brushed away, long strips of clothing emerged, and the soles of shoes poked out from beneath the surface.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
The mouth and nose of one bunny was poking out of a hole in the bag, with a knot tied around its neck, per the sheriff's office release.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2024
On Up First, NPR's Dara Kerr says the judge has been asking very pointed questions and poking holes in both sides' arguments.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 3 May 2024
Trump’s defense has worked to poke holes in the credibility of prosecutors’ witnesses, and show that Trump was trying to protect his reputation and family — not his campaign — by keeping the women quiet.
—Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 3 May 2024
Trump's defense has worked to poke holes in the credibility of prosecutors' witnesses, and show that Trump was trying to protect his reputation and family — not his campaign — by keeping the women quiet.
—TIME, 3 May 2024
The album cover features Lipa with her hair dyed red for this new era of music, chilling in the ocean with a shark fin, which could signal trouble, prominently poking out of the water.
—Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 3 May 2024
Subtle splashes of colors poked out of the sky from both sides, just enough for those of us who happened to be looking upward to notice.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2024
Noun
The poke was cautiously considered and planned to push the corrupted subsystem to work around its corruption.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
It’s known for its delicious, sashimi-grade poke and other Hawaiian-style snacks.
—Ben Davidson, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
The green onions were confined to the middle, engulfed in fluffy bread that sprang back with the poke of a finger.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024
Less than a half hour before Hendricks County, Indiana, reached totality during the Monday, April 8, solar eclipse, a woman felt a poke on her arm.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The Oscars controversy was just another poke in the eye.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Playing after a gruesome poke in the eye Thursday, Nikola Jokic led Denver with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024
But consider this: multiple shots in one visit means fewer office visits (and fewer pokes and less trauma for your baby).
—Rebecca Stewart, Parents, 21 Dec. 2023
DeSantis swipes at his top rivals In his opening remarks at the Florida Freedom Summit, Gov. Ron DeSantis said to get rid of the teleprompters -- an indirect poke at former President Donald Trump, who uses teleprompters when giving remarks.
—Abby Cruz, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2023
Verb
The song finds the Grammy winner addressing and poking fun at the public's perception of her as a famous figure.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
When the soil was brushed away, long strips of clothing emerged, and the soles of shoes poked out from beneath the surface.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
The mouth and nose of one bunny was poking out of a hole in the bag, with a knot tied around its neck, per the sheriff's office release.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2024
On Up First, NPR's Dara Kerr says the judge has been asking very pointed questions and poking holes in both sides' arguments.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 3 May 2024
Trump’s defense has worked to poke holes in the credibility of prosecutors’ witnesses, and show that Trump was trying to protect his reputation and family — not his campaign — by keeping the women quiet.
—Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 3 May 2024
Trump's defense has worked to poke holes in the credibility of prosecutors' witnesses, and show that Trump was trying to protect his reputation and family — not his campaign — by keeping the women quiet.
—TIME, 3 May 2024
The album cover features Lipa with her hair dyed red for this new era of music, chilling in the ocean with a shark fin, which could signal trouble, prominently poking out of the water.
—Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 3 May 2024
Subtle splashes of colors poked out of the sky from both sides, just enough for those of us who happened to be looking upward to notice.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near poke
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poke. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poke
1 of 3 noun
chiefly Southern & Midland
poke
2 of 3 verb
poked; poking
1
c
: to produce by piercing, stabbing, or jabbing
poke a hole
2
: to stick out or cause to stick out
poked her head out the window
3
: to be nosy especially about things that do not concern one
4
: to search over or through usually without purpose : rummage
poking around in the attic
5
: to move slowly or lazily
they were just poking along home
poke
3 of 3 noun
: a quick thrust : jab
Etymology
Noun
Middle English poke "bag, sack," from an early French dialect word poke (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English poken "to jab, prod"
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