stoke

verb

ˈstōk 

stoked; stoking

transitive verb

1

: to poke or stir up (a fire, flames, etc.) : supply with fuel

2

: to feed abundantly

3

: to increase the activity, intensity, or amount of

… limiting the number of cars available … will help stoke demand for the car.

—Keith Naughton

intransitive verb

: to stir up or tend a fire (as in a furnace) : supply a furnace with fuel

Synonyms of stoke

• increase
• accelerate
• expand
• boost
• augment
• raise

Examples of stoke in a Sentence

The engineer stoked the coals.

The new ad campaign has helped to stoke sales.

Poor revenue figures have stoked concerns about possible layoffs.

Recent Examples on the Web

President Paul Biya’s shuffle of key army positions during a two-month absence from Cameroon has stoked fresh speculation about political stability in the cocoa and oil-producing nation. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Such partnerships stoked popular anger at the governments of those countries and the United States. — Michael Fuchs, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026

Treasury yields already stand at elevated levels, after the Iran war stoked rising inflation and pushed up borrowing costs. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Its rise and fall was dramatic, with a deadly riot in 1880 stoking anti-Chinese sentiment nationwide. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Dutch stoken; akin to Middle Dutch stuken to push

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for stoke

• bloke
• boeck
• broke
• choke
• cloak
• cloke
• croak
• folk
• hoke
• joke
• moke
• oak

Kids Definition

stoke

verb

ˈstōk 

stoked; stoking

1

: to stir up or tend (as a fire)

2

: to supply (as a furnace) with fuel

3

: to feed plentifully

stoker noun

Medical Definition

stoke

noun

ˈstōk 

: the cgs unit of kinematic viscosity being that of a fluid which has a viscosity of one poise and a density of one gram per cubic centimeter