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 drags
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of pokes
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Then in the second, Mattias Samuelsson was allowed to take multiple pokes at Jeremy Swayman before Geekie clobbered him.
—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Privacy may struggle within a buzzing neighborhood as the Sun in your contemplative 12th house pokes indulgent Jupiter in your 3rd House of Messages.
—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Pepsi has for decades taken pokes at rival Coke in an endless array of commercials, but this time, the youth-skewing cola company really means business.
—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
A lot of times, these hot-button issues that are pressed, those little pokes, are more nuanced than they’re portrayed.
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Jan. 2026
In the hands of the right provider, filler can enhance and even transform your face with just a few strategic pokes.
—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
11 Nov. 2025
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
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Perched on a finger of land that pokes into Lebanon, Metula is usually crowded with tourists this time of year.
—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
The self-aware series pokes fun at the teenage superhero subgenre, toying with the way superpowers interfere with daily life.
—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Cloudy and rainy conditions prevail throughout the morning, then in the afternoon the sun pokes through with calm winds.
—
Kendrick Calfee
june 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently isn’t amused by a new board game that pokes fun at the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s reputation for garnering foul calls at the hint of contact by an opposing player.
—
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Kym is the family fuckup and a guilty party to its biggest tragedy but also constantly pokes the bear as its selfish verbal assassin.
—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Instead, the robot simply pokes through it.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
My daughter, Brigid, the oldest of the girls, pokes her head out of the kitchen.
—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
If your everyday bra is worn out, replace it with this scalloped bra that provides padded support — without uncomfortable underwire that digs and pokes.
—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Then in the second, Mattias Samuelsson was allowed to take multiple pokes at Jeremy Swayman before Geekie clobbered him.
—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Privacy may struggle within a buzzing neighborhood as the Sun in your contemplative 12th house pokes indulgent Jupiter in your 3rd House of Messages.
—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Pepsi has for decades taken pokes at rival Coke in an endless array of commercials, but this time, the youth-skewing cola company really means business.
—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
A lot of times, these hot-button issues that are pressed, those little pokes, are more nuanced than they’re portrayed.
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Jan. 2026
In the hands of the right provider, filler can enhance and even transform your face with just a few strategic pokes.
—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
11 Nov. 2025
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
Verb
The second is a vent which pokes out above your clothes, to move warm air away from you.
—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Perched on a finger of land that pokes into Lebanon, Metula is usually crowded with tourists this time of year.
—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
The self-aware series pokes fun at the teenage superhero subgenre, toying with the way superpowers interfere with daily life.
—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Cloudy and rainy conditions prevail throughout the morning, then in the afternoon the sun pokes through with calm winds.
—
Kendrick Calfee
june 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently isn’t amused by a new board game that pokes fun at the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s reputation for garnering foul calls at the hint of contact by an opposing player.
—
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Kym is the family fuckup and a guilty party to its biggest tragedy but also constantly pokes the bear as its selfish verbal assassin.
—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Instead, the robot simply pokes through it.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
My daughter, Brigid, the oldest of the girls, pokes her head out of the kitchen.
—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pokes
Noun
-
Thankfully, there are self-aware jabs as well, and it’s all couched in a character- and ensemble-centric ending that has hearty portions that help the random sour bite go down smoothly.
-
Weight-loss jabs are the latest craze for shedding a few pounds.
Noun
-
Onaje died four days later — having suffered fatal brain hemorrhaging from multiple blows to his skull.
-
Officers said that Samartino quickly assessed the situation and immediately began administering back blows to the infant.
Noun
-
In recent weeks, Avila Chevalier has been under a microscope for her past tweets, including posts calling for defunding the police and abolishing the border, alongside harsh insults of big-name Democrats such as former Vice President Kamala Harris.
-
Michael Lind, the writer and New America co-founder, argues in Commonplace, the magazine of Oren Cass’s American Compass, that a decent wage and a safety net should be enough, and that handing workers a stake in capital insults the dignity of their labor.
Noun
-
Elsewhere, Prada made a case for vanity pouches swinging from belts; keychains were back at Tod’s; and at Giorgio Armani, models sported the letters G and A pinned to their blazers in homage to the late designer, who died last September.
-
The small nylon and leather pouches attached to belt loops also stood out as an interesting styling detail.
Verb
-
These are more likely to cause painless rectal bleeding or tissue that protrudes during a bowel movement.
-
Part of it protrudes from the exterior, with natural airflow helping keep the food inside chilled.
Verb
-
If Damascus interferes in Lebanon, sectarian violence could follow, as the Syrian military presence would likely be interpreted as direct opposition to Hezbollah’s Shiite fighters.
-
This act interferes greatly with local departments of planning and development for erroneous climate protocols enacted by Ronald Regan.
Verb
-
There’s a sense that Kaprizov depends too much on Zuccarello and that Zuccarello drags Kaprizov into the east-west game that’s the opposite of how the Wild want to play.
-
As the search drags on, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday commended police for their efforts after weeks of shooting incidents brought international attention to the city’s gun violence problem as thousands of soccer fans visit for the FIFA World Cup.
Verb
-
Seltz’s system crawls hundreds of millions of pages a day, and returns results in under 200 milliseconds.
-
At sunset, the city starts glowing around you while traffic crawls silently below.
Cite this Entry
“Pokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pokes. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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