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

Trump's recent denunciation of Greene for challenging him on policy areas including the Epstein files may also stoke divisions in his base. —Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Nov. 2025

In its effort to stoke the geopolitical flames with winks and tongue-in-cheek reference, this new book flattens the story to surface level commentary. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025

That, in turn, is stoking uncertainty about whether the Federal Reserve will continue to cut interest rates in December, and adding to the Wall Street jitters. —John Towfighi, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025

The lockdown stoked a lot of creativity. —La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 14 Nov. 2025

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