1
2
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
you'd better shut up if you don't want a poke on the nose
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the constantly bickering husband and wife seem unable to let five minutes pass without an exchange of gratuitous pokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
chiefly Southern & Midland
as in pouch
a container made of a flexible material (as paper or plastic)
the old warning against buying a pig in a poke
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to interfere
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
told him to stop poking into other people's business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to crawl
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poke
Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
The non-extinction of Zaglossus attenboroughi, in the Cyclops Mountains, first suspected in 2007 on evidence of nose pokes, was confirmed.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2025
Other decisions can be similarly poked and prodded.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Noun
Novo Brewing’s locations in Imperial Beach and Chula Vista serve Brazilian empanadas, poke nachos, several burgers and sandwiches, steaks and salads.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
The non-extinction of Zaglossus attenboroughi, in the Cyclops Mountains, first suspected in 2007 on evidence of nose pokes, was confirmed.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
Elsewhere, Lukas Gage poked fun at Norwood.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2025
Other decisions can be similarly poked and prodded.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
Verb
-
Keta’s long layers fell on the sides of her face, while the back was noticeably teased and twisted with spiky pieces protruding out.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
His bones visibly protruded from his thin skin, according to court documents.—
Ryan Murphy,
IndyStar,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied interfering in foreign elections.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The cornea is a perfect alternating stack of tiny fibers that is so regular that light goes right through it, and the cells of the lens have lost nearly all their internal structures (organelles), leaving only a soup of almost identical proteins that don’t interfere much with the passage of light.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Arisu crawls onto a mound of rubble for momentary relief, and is met with an angry Banda.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
-
At the time, officials concluded that a few mussels likely hitched a ride on a boat that had been in another infested area, most probably one of the Great Lakes in the Midwest, which are crawling with the critters.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
With marker John McGinn behind him, the midfielder attempted to drag the ball back and evade the challenge.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
If the shutdown drags on for more than a few days, a report on inflation scheduled for mid-October could also be delayed.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The internet already messed her up pretty good.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The internet already messed her up pretty good.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Violet Affleck, the eldest daughter of A-listers Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, is sounding the alarm on the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Repressed and lingering scars from childhood can certainly cause pain for entire communities and be a catalyst for terrible and reprehensible behaviors.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Signs of fall are finally beginning to creep in.—
Essence,
Essence,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Alabama and Ole Miss vaulted into the club with big wins, while Texas A&M crept into minus-odds territory with a home win against Auburn.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some versions were designed to snoop on Telegram messages.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Its security staff had discovered Cobwebs, founded by former members of Israel’s elite cyber intel agencies, was using hundreds of accounts to snoop on Facebook and WhatsApp users, many of them activists, opposition politicians and government officials in Hong Kong and Mexico.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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