1
2
as in blows
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 insults
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
as in pouches
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 protrudes
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in interferes
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 crawls
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of pokes
Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
The rooftop pool and open-late bars draw a youngish crowd—lots of millennials with stick-and-pokes—of couples and friends, and absolutely zero kids (though the property is dog- and cat- friendly).
—Emily Wilson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 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
Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
The trailer for Season 6 of Solar Opposites, released today, pokes fun of the show’s imminent end.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Impressionistic lyrics would fit this stuff, but Le Bon pokes the spacious haze with direct evocations of love and heartbreak.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
The track pokes fun at consumerism and a materialistic society constantly seeking the next best thing, a theme that remains relevant nearly 45 years later.
—Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
The clip shows a shower knob slowly being unscrewed from the wall before a tiny black, furry hand pokes through.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The brand’s giant green owl mascot dances badly, makes obscure pop culture references and pokes fun at the company’s push notifications.
—Leeron Walter, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Like his contemporaries, Meyers often pokes fun at the ongoing actions of the president and his administration on Late Night.
—Emlyn Travis Updated, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Wilfried Zaha, one of Palace’s two onrushing forwards, chooses to run beyond the Fulham defence, hoping team-mate Jordan Ayew gets there before Ream and pokes a pass through to him.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
There weren’t any needles, pokes, or prods involved, just a simple applicator patch that stuck to the side of my stomach to help the machine navigate where to output the energy.
—Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
The rooftop pool and open-late bars draw a youngish crowd—lots of millennials with stick-and-pokes—of couples and friends, and absolutely zero kids (though the property is dog- and cat- friendly).
—Emily Wilson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 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
In a pair of promos shared to social media on Monday in support of her upcoming 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl (out Friday), the singer pokes some major fun at herself.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
The trailer for Season 6 of Solar Opposites, released today, pokes fun of the show’s imminent end.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Impressionistic lyrics would fit this stuff, but Le Bon pokes the spacious haze with direct evocations of love and heartbreak.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
The track pokes fun at consumerism and a materialistic society constantly seeking the next best thing, a theme that remains relevant nearly 45 years later.
—Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
The clip shows a shower knob slowly being unscrewed from the wall before a tiny black, furry hand pokes through.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The brand’s giant green owl mascot dances badly, makes obscure pop culture references and pokes fun at the company’s push notifications.
—Leeron Walter, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Like his contemporaries, Meyers often pokes fun at the ongoing actions of the president and his administration on Late Night.
—Emlyn Travis Updated, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Wilfried Zaha, one of Palace’s two onrushing forwards, chooses to run beyond the Fulham defence, hoping team-mate Jordan Ayew gets there before Ream and pokes a pass through to him.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pokes
Verb
-
Baleen is a specialized type of bone that protrudes from the jaws like teeth and is used to filter small critters from the ocean water to feed.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bárbara, who can see the guests a few feet away, maintains a neutral expression on her face as Solène demands to be spoken to nicely, at which point Jess interferes and tells them to save it for later.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Elsewhere, Morgan interferes when Elliot admits to not being invited to his classmate’s party.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 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
-
Gameplay begins as the player crawls from the wreckage.—
G Kirilloff,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Linda also drags her daughter to a clinic for regular treatments, none of which seem to do any good.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The White House has also warned that federal workers will be fired, and floated the possibility of denying back pay to furloughed employees, if the shutdown drags on much longer.—
Kevin Breuninger,Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But above all, Fernández and El Mimoso’s voices shine extraordinarily beautifully, delivering a performance that lingers even after its final note.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
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The pick-off still lingers in Guerrero’s mind because of his teammate at the plate — the guy who’s been alongside him the whole time.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Japanese influence creeps in again with a matcha white chocolate chip cookie.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Employees notice the waves of shiny experiments that come and go (with no momentum), and cynicism creeps in.—
Aditya Vikram Kashyap,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
These early shifts—less COVID vaccination; fewer options for flu, MMR, and chickenpox vaccines; and, perhaps soon, delays to the hepatitis-B schedule—may seem benign enough.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.—
Jeremy Tanner,
The Hill,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Gakpo is deeper, and Wirtz pushes forward as the central member of Liverpool’s forward line, while Ekitike shuffles across as the left of the trio.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Because global air travel shuffles millions of people around the world daily, an outbreak of a very contagious disease anywhere can become a threat everywhere.—
Amy E. Stambach,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pokes. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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