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
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Recent Examples of poking
ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
There are also dual Akrapvoic exhausts poking out the rear, framed by slim taillights.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2025
Satire, for example — poking fun at politicians or someone in power when things get ridiculous — can help people see how silly a situation is.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Sad and Beautiful World finds Mavis, 86, exploring, rediscovering, and poking holes at her lifetime of righteous optimism.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
At times, the whales even broke through the surface, poking their fins just above water.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
The two actors answered my questions during a Zoom interview, poking fun at each other throughout.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 3 Nov. 2025
Or use your finger, poking it about 2 inches into the soil.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
Matthew McConaughey is poking fun at himself.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Tonight, after poking the bear, this bear roared.
—ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
There are also dual Akrapvoic exhausts poking out the rear, framed by slim taillights.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2025
Satire, for example — poking fun at politicians or someone in power when things get ridiculous — can help people see how silly a situation is.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Sad and Beautiful World finds Mavis, 86, exploring, rediscovering, and poking holes at her lifetime of righteous optimism.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
At times, the whales even broke through the surface, poking their fins just above water.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
The two actors answered my questions during a Zoom interview, poking fun at each other throughout.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 3 Nov. 2025
Or use your finger, poking it about 2 inches into the soil.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
Matthew McConaughey is poking fun at himself.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poking
Adjective
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Fortunately, there's usually plenty of pleasant autumn days after the first frost to tackle the remaining fall gardening tasks at a more leisurely rate.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Nov. 2025
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During November, coastal towns transform into quieter versions of themselves, offering a season for birdwatching, leisurely walks, or festivals with good music and food.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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To add to the hilarity, one of the dachshunds appeared to have chewed through a couch cushion and somehow gotten stuck inside it, with its head and legs filmed protruding through the torn fabric.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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The early word was that the protruding pair was a customized version of Adidas Adistar Cushion 3 sneakers made specifically for Williams.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The last two seasons have proven that the team starts off slow, which ends up messing their chances of making the playoffs.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The overnight storm was likely triggered by a glancing CME arrival that combined with lingering effects from a high-speed solar wind stream, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Indeed, households, especially low-income ones, still face challenges affording basic goods and services due to lingering high prices.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Apart from being walking-friendly enough for commuting to and from the office, the relatively comfortable heel also gives your denim, maxidresses, and trousers a little lift, keeping hems from dragging.—
Shelby Ying Hyde,
Glamour,
11 Nov. 2025
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Introducing a 50-year mortgage could help individuals and families facing higher borrowing and homeownership costs, but experts warn that any benefit could be easily outweighed by dragging on payments for 20 years longer than the standard 30-year term.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Hoover finished 319 yards on 34-of-50 passing, but his two turnovers were critical mistakes that led to TCU’s slow start in the first half.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
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When visiting the exhibit, plan on taking your time to make the most of it, or what the American Federation of Arts calls slow looking.—
Susan B. Barnes,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Here the president is running roughshod over state and local governments that are not interfering in the federal government’s work.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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The engineers explain that the robot’s balance and locomotion have been trained in a simulated environment with slopes, obstacles, and interfering forces, where it has been run for hundreds of thousands of virtual hours.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His fur was singed and bitten, his arm broken, and his mouth crawling with maggots.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Amazon has already taken steps in recent months to prevent external AI agents from crawling its website, including those developed by OpenAI, Google and Meta.—
Ashley Capoot,Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poking. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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