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

• 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

But in 2014, rage in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, over the killing of Michael Brown by police helped stoke a movement that shaped the next decade of American life. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2025

Regional bank shares tumbled Thursday after two lenders disclosed issues with borrowers, stoking nerves about the health of the credit market — and the potential for negative spillovers into the stock market and broader economy. —John Towfighi, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

In 2025, Shudder is stoking that discussion with their ongoing love of Asian horror. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2025

The passage aims to stoke a very particular anxiety—that men are no longer real men. —Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 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