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

These recent arrivals have stoked social tensions and raised concerns about the growing strain on the welfare state. —Alexander Kustov, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2025

In recent years, it has been stoked by demands by Democrats and others for social-justice reforms in the wake of notorious cases of police brutality. —Susan Page, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025

In order to stoke shocks early on, when the action is still mundanely procedural, Cregger shows characters’ nightmares. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025

But while some will be stoked for such big-ticket events as Outside Lands and San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, others may just want to chill with a good movie or TV show. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 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