as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
the poking pace of the repair work has put everything way behind schedule
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in messing
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
told him to stop poking into other people's business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lingering
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in dragging
to move slowly
they were just poking along home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poking
Sam Reed, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2026
While the 1930s and 1940s did see some instances of carnival poking fun at the tyranny of the Nazi regime (none of which, it should be noted, went unpunished), Birdsall and other scholars maintain that the festival was, first and foremost, an avenue for propaganda.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
And time is running out before teams begin poking and prodding at the puzzle, trying to find ways to break it apart.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
The comedian and actress, 43, laid into FBI Director Kash Patel during the Monday, March 30 broadcast, poking fun at reports that his personal emails were hacked.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
As the train pulled into the precincts of Guilin, Martha and Joost gazed out the window at a series of pointy green hills poking up out of bright-orange soil.
—Cassandra Neyenesch, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
But rather than big Hawaiian swells, these waves were the crashing sounds of social media users poking fun at the look of the upcoming Disney film.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
His father came around the corner in time to see his arms poking up above the rim, a cartoon character in need of rescue.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Eventually, the girl let on that her classmate had indeed been bothering her, poking her in the back and face with his fingers — but did not say the boy had threatened to kill her, according to the police report.
—Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
Upon the umpteenth retelling, Jules (Jeff Wilbusch)—who witnessed the gory death of Rachel’s mother (Victoria Pedretti) as a little boy and therefore wholeheartedly believes in the curse—begins poking holes in the story.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2026
While the 1930s and 1940s did see some instances of carnival poking fun at the tyranny of the Nazi regime (none of which, it should be noted, went unpunished), Birdsall and other scholars maintain that the festival was, first and foremost, an avenue for propaganda.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
And time is running out before teams begin poking and prodding at the puzzle, trying to find ways to break it apart.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
The comedian and actress, 43, laid into FBI Director Kash Patel during the Monday, March 30 broadcast, poking fun at reports that his personal emails were hacked.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
As the train pulled into the precincts of Guilin, Martha and Joost gazed out the window at a series of pointy green hills poking up out of bright-orange soil.
—Cassandra Neyenesch, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
But rather than big Hawaiian swells, these waves were the crashing sounds of social media users poking fun at the look of the upcoming Disney film.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
His father came around the corner in time to see his arms poking up above the rim, a cartoon character in need of rescue.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Eventually, the girl let on that her classmate had indeed been bothering her, poking her in the back and face with his fingers — but did not say the boy had threatened to kill her, according to the police report.
—Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poking
Adjective
-
So the coming months are a period for cocktails in bigger glasses, vessels that welcome more liquid for more leisurely sipping.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Otherwise, consider the more posh neighborhoods of Chelsea and Kensington—ideal for leisurely days spent browsing boutiques and art galleries or strolling over to Notting Hill for coffee and craft bakeries.—
Katharine Sohn,
Architectural Digest,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the bathroom, a chemical meant to make trace blood more visible reacted in the sink and the bathtub, while a visible bloodstain was found under the protruding edge of a vanity, Hooks said.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In the video, large swaths of brown earth can be seen protruding patches of mountain snow.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But now, with its Major League Baseball opening night rights, the streamer is messing with the wrong fan base.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Tulane’s other big contingent, activist investors, have been a bit defanged by AI, which is messing with companies’ strategies and their ability to credibly critique them.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The primary suite is described as storage-rich and spa-like, with multiple closets and a bath built for lingering.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In our present moment, as the production and consumption of hot takes continues to accelerate, there is a powerful form of resistance to be found in lingering with the unfamiliar, in offering attention without the promise of a quick take-away.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But right now, while the press is still bad and the lawsuits are still dragging, sellers should take a breath.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The SaaSpocalypse, ultimately, was a knee-jerk, existential reaction to where AI is (slowly, in many contexts) dragging the tech stack.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In fact, businesses hired workers at their slowest pace since 2011, excluding the onset of the pandemic in 2020.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The area’s large tourist population contributes a constant volume of unfamiliar drivers to already heavily congested roads, with traffic patterns that shift significantly between peak tourist season and the summer months but never truly slow to manageable levels on the area’s major corridors.—
Anton Lucanus
April 3,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The next shower to peak is the Eta Aquariids on May 5-6, when sky-gazers can expect to see less than 10 meteors per hour because of the interfering moonlight, according to the American Meteor Society.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Bonta filed an emergency petition with the state Fourth Court of Appeals on Monday to stop Bianco, a candidate in the 2026 governor’s race, after Bianco seized 657,322 ballots and accused Bonta of interfering in his office’s investigation into voter fraud.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Until Isaacman’s program makeover, Artemis III was crawling toward a moon landing no sooner than 2029.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
One provider recommended a different formula, but Laura responded that her son was burning calories by kicking in his bed, crawling and wheeling around in his wheelchair.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poking. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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