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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poke
Asli Pelit, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
While our eyes and ears each process information related to light or sound, touch concerns a smorgasbord of stimuli, including pokes, pulls, puffs, caresses and vibrations, as well as a range of temperatures and chemicals, such as capsaicin in chili peppers or menthol in mint.
—Ariel Bleicher, Quanta Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 22 June 2025
Clark, who has gotten the Stephen Curry rough stuff treatment to throw her off her game, was poked in the eye and then shoved to the floor by Marina Mabrey.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Noun
With the right toe poke, the forward found the back of the net for the game’s lone goal.
—Asli Pelit, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
While our eyes and ears each process information related to light or sound, touch concerns a smorgasbord of stimuli, including pokes, pulls, puffs, caresses and vibrations, as well as a range of temperatures and chemicals, such as capsaicin in chili peppers or menthol in mint.
—Ariel Bleicher, Quanta Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
This clip has reached 39 million views as of Friday, leading to memes on X poking fun at the interaction.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 22 June 2025
Clark, who has gotten the Stephen Curry rough stuff treatment to throw her off her game, was poked in the eye and then shoved to the floor by Marina Mabrey.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
Verb
-
The first-gen roam the mainland naked because of the idea that their clothes disintegrated long ago, and their appearances are characterized by veins that protrude from their body in revolting knots.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 June 2025
-
After making sure the point is protruding slightly from one side of the bait, take the extra few seconds to remove scales all around the point.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
That allowed a returning Tonga Loa to interfere and nearly cost Fatu the match.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
Salwa, the narrator, decides to interfere and starts a series of comic attempts to set them up.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
To make the stakes even higher, Player 39 crawls to the edge after the round ends.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
-
The next day, at 9:10 p.m., Boelter crawled out of a wooded area and surrendered to law enforcement.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Voting had come to a standstill, dragging for more than three hours, with holdout senators huddling for negotiations and taking private meetings off the Senate floor.—
Ani Freedman,
Fortune,
29 June 2025
-
Even as Beijing drags its feet on financial reforms, the chaos surrounding Trump 2.0 is making the case, day after day, for an alternative to the dollar.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
But the bone-dry cabin air and the altitude can really mess things up.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
17 June 2025
-
Trim overhanging limbs and relocate furniture to avoid popular bird perches that drop messes onto your patio.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
Each time a child left, the emotional toll was unbearable, and the sadness lingered long after they were gone.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
27 June 2025
-
The camera lingers for too long on his pained, Grecian-bust features.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Soon, Kelli’s voice creeps up a few octaves after Brit calls her insecure, prompting her to lay the glam team drama on the table.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
23 June 2025
-
No Liverpool fan can be anything but glowing in their praise of Robertson in a red shirt, but his powers are waning compared with previous seasons as more defensive mistakes crept into his game last season.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Others described judges attempting to snoop or surveil them.—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
9 June 2025
-
Jason’s friend and a fellow associate of Brian’s, Cal feels safest hanging at home, snooping on Coast Guard comms with a few beers and some private browser tabs open.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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