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

Following a confusing rollout of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s loan changes, some students couldn’t pay bills over summer, stoking fears about fall semester disbursements. — Erin Rode, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2026

The Journal’s reporting comes not long after Fetterman stoked rumors of his possible departure from the Democratic Party in July. — Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Such comments only stoked the anger at Atletico, where many believed Barca had pressured the player into speaking publicly to try and reduce their asking price. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

The trend has stoked both hopes and fears around AI’s educational uses. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 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