spoke

1 of 3

past tense and archaic past participle of speak

spoke

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: any of the small radiating bars inserted in the hub of a wheel to support the rim
b
: something resembling the spoke of a wheel
2
: any of the projecting handles of a boat's steering wheel

spoke

3 of 3

verb

spoked; spoking

transitive verb

: to furnish with spokes

Examples of spoke in a Sentence

Noun The stick got caught in the wheel's spokes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Photo : Barrett-Jackson Stopping power is courtesy of Wilwood disc brakes, visible through the wide polished spokes of Schott wheels wrapped with custom red-line tires. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024 The data lake serves as a hub, while all of the silos are the spokes. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Outlets at the rear of the carbon-fiber front fenders exhaust air and draw even further attention to the GT’s most obvious fashion accessory: 22-inch rims with six funnel spokes—an homage to Audi’s recognizable motorsport design. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 6 Feb. 2024 Smack in the middle of town and on the spokes of a city’s transportation network is the future for any team that wants to stay relevant. Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023 As a small child, Rono fell off a bicycle that his uncle was riding to ferry him from his grandmother’s house, snapping his right ankle in the spinning spokes. Alex Williams, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024 At the top, a jagged, broken form recalls the razor-sharp spokes of a Catherine wheel, a notorious public torture device common to medieval Europe. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023 The size here might be partly to contain the fairly massive brake discs that lurk behind the wheels' spokes, which work together with regenerative braking to slow this EV down in a hurry. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 24 July 2023 Eleven protesters were injured, and a policewoman was killed: all the spokes of Matar’s lingering, melancholy new novel connect to this transforming event. The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2024
Verb
Later, Oscar winner Curtis spoked to a crowded ballroom, opening up about her environmentalist graphic novel Mother Nature. Devan Coggan, EW.com, 24 July 2023 The aides and officials who spokes to Axios note that the anger usually flares up when people don’t have information Biden would like in order to make a better decision. David Matthews New York Daily News (tns), al, 12 July 2023 Plus, the 16-inch spoked pneumatic tires on this hose reel easily travel over grass or an uneven landscape. Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2023 The office also said the attorney general spoke to the Van Treese family before ordering the review. Brynn Gingras, CNN, 10 Feb. 2023 The same companion frequently tagged along for these kinds of meetings, according to the sheriff, who said Ray spoke to the prospective buyer by phone. Uwa Ede-Osifo, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2023 As more officers responded to the scene, a Chula Vista police crisis negotiation team member spoke with Sammarco, who continued yelling at officers, threatening the hostage and refusing to cooperate, Campbell said. Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2023 Castro said Biden spoke to how the country has bounced back from the pandemic with the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years and outlined the path ahead on issues such as overhauling the country’s immigration system. Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 8 Feb. 2023 Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Mr. Assad also spoke by phone, official media in both countries said. Aaron Boxerman, WSJ, 7 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spoke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English spāca; akin to Old High German speihha spoke, Middle Dutch spike spike

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spoke was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near spoke

Cite this Entry

“Spoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spoke. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spoke

1 of 2

past and archaic past participle of speak

spoke

2 of 2 noun
1
: one of the small bars extending from the hub of a wheel to support the rim
2
: something resembling the spoke of a wheel

More from Merriam-Webster on spoke

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