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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poking
Will Freeman,
New Yorker,
30 June 2026
If their edges are poking out from your ice sphere, your ice will melt and break apart faster.
—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 June 2026
Indeed, when Orion disappears below the western horizon during spring evenings, the Scorpion is poking his head up in the southeast.
—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
The pillows are wrapped in breathable cotton covers with a 99 percent feather and 1 percent down fill that prevents the feather quills from poking through the cover.
—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
Kansas City isn't much of a pedestrian city, but now, blue and green specks of fans dot the sidewalks, like wildflowers poking through a crack in the pavement.
—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 June 2026
One guard holds each wrist, and another holds both of his thighs just above the knobby knees poking through his purple scrub pants.
—
Ashley Andreou,
STAT,
22 June 2026
The post included a picture of a baby’s feet poking out from a blanket.
—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
In Labour circles, there is an old joke poking fun at Burnham’s chameleon-like ability to blend into whichever set of ideas is in vogue on the left at that moment in time.
—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Verb
Calderón, a big, bald man wearing a gold chain and cross-shaped earrings, sat off to the side, amid an entourage of muscular assistants in polo shirts, poking at his phone.
—
Will Freeman,
New Yorker,
30 June 2026
If their edges are poking out from your ice sphere, your ice will melt and break apart faster.
—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 June 2026
Indeed, when Orion disappears below the western horizon during spring evenings, the Scorpion is poking his head up in the southeast.
—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
The pillows are wrapped in breathable cotton covers with a 99 percent feather and 1 percent down fill that prevents the feather quills from poking through the cover.
—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
Kansas City isn't much of a pedestrian city, but now, blue and green specks of fans dot the sidewalks, like wildflowers poking through a crack in the pavement.
—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 June 2026
One guard holds each wrist, and another holds both of his thighs just above the knobby knees poking through his purple scrub pants.
—
Ashley Andreou,
STAT,
22 June 2026
The post included a picture of a baby’s feet poking out from a blanket.
—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
In Labour circles, there is an old joke poking fun at Burnham’s chameleon-like ability to blend into whichever set of ideas is in vogue on the left at that moment in time.
—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poking
Adjective
-
Mondays have $5 martinis, mules and margaritas, Fridays and Saturdays are for boogying upstairs and the patio at Metro is an any-day spot for a leisurely drink or three.
-
That was when the lensman captured the social set at their leisurely and often strikingly dressed best.
Verb
-
And while certainly shaken up, the driver and passenger (also test dummies in this case) likely could have walked away without being struck by shattered glass or a protruding antler.
-
Features such as surface roughness and protruding fibers create more sites where particles can stick to the outer surface rather than passing through.
Verb
-
There was something a little therapeutic about messing it up.
-
No one can match her depth and passion to get vengeance on Krem of the Yellow Hills for messing with her family — a sentiment Cancers understand.
Verb
-
But for a growing number of older people, those retirement years are arriving with lingering debt problems attached.
-
Irving remains on the roster amid lingering questions about his future after missing all of last season.
Verb
-
Compounding concerns, California officials say the Department of Transportation is dragging its feet.
-
One small habit that has helped me tremendously is dragging important emails directly into my calendar.
Adjective
-
What to expect over the weekend Though Friday was expected to be the slowest day of the competition, the atmosphere at Cal Expo was anything but dull.
-
Some residents are calling for civilian volunteers to help clear debris, frustrated by the slow pace of the rescue operations.
Verb
-
The pivotal match itself — the semifinal encounter against hosts Uruguay — is also more convincingly depicted and dramatic, particularly for how one of the goals is assisted by an interfering policeman (incredibly, this did actually happen).
-
Other fans have targeted Chung Mong-gyu, the outgoing director of the Korean Football Association, who’s been accused of improperly interfering in the management of the national team.
Verb
-
The Germans were crawling as far as the street, dashing across the asphalt, then leaping into the second trench.
-
Jude Cornell joined a swarm of toddlers crawling after soccer balls, tossing training cones into the air and relocating a goalie net that was proving to be very, very portable.
Cite this Entry
“Poking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poking. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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