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

With consumers driving more than two-thirds of all economic activity, and with most of the spending coming from higher-income consumers, keeping that sentiment stoked is crucial. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2026

This will be our last week stoking the fires. —David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2026

But the already-complex Super Bowl picture is further clouded by tensions and palpable fears about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents descending on the area, stoking fear with immigrant communities who have seen more aggressive and visible ICE activity at South Bay courthouses and jails. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026

Bad Bunny’s anti-ICE comments at this year’s Grammy Awards will have only stoked the ire of some conservatives. —Jared Bahir Browsh, Fortune, 4 Feb. 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