stoke

verb

stoked; stoking
Synonyms of stokenext

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Anti-vaccine activists, the HHS secretary among them, have spent years stoking unfounded fears about mRNA vaccines; doing so has almost certainly resulted in otherwise preventable deaths among those who refused to get vaccinated. Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2025 Those critics say the project mirrors the ideology of the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that has been accused of Islamophobia and stoking tensions between the different faiths that coexist in the world’s largest democracy. Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025 Profits matter above all else for equity investors, and huge bumps in government spending from Europe to Asia have stoked estimates for strong gains in earnings. Lauren Chomiuk, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2025 Viewers can see in the scene when Timothy/Crudup is stoking the emotions inside and then uses the menu items to communicate that feeling. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stoke

Word History

Etymology

Dutch stoken; akin to Middle Dutch stuken to push

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stoke was in 1683

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stoke. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

stoke

verb
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
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on stoke

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