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 crawling
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
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
Matthew McConaughey is poking fun at himself.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
The Cougars cushion was short-lived however because Levi Johnson scored for the Eagles (15-3-2) less than three minutes later by splitting a couple defenders at the top of the box, poking the ball past the goalie before pushing the ball across the line.
—Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Nail heads are poking through the gym’s thin hardwood floors.
—Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2025
The mogul then posted a clip of herself poking fun at her look while getting final touch-ups of her face mask from her glam team at the Academy Museum gala.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
But instead, teammate Nick Cousins was poking a little fun at Pinto’s contract situation and drew some laughs, including from Pinto himself.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
My neighbors started poking their heads in the front door, too.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 14 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny has commented little, save for an SNL monologue poking fun at the situation.
—Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
The Cougars cushion was short-lived however because Levi Johnson scored for the Eagles (15-3-2) less than three minutes later by splitting a couple defenders at the top of the box, poking the ball past the goalie before pushing the ball across the line.
—Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Nail heads are poking through the gym’s thin hardwood floors.
—Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2025
The mogul then posted a clip of herself poking fun at her look while getting final touch-ups of her face mask from her glam team at the Academy Museum gala.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
But instead, teammate Nick Cousins was poking a little fun at Pinto’s contract situation and drew some laughs, including from Pinto himself.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
My neighbors started poking their heads in the front door, too.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 14 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny has commented little, save for an SNL monologue poking fun at the situation.
—Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poking
Adjective
-
Saturdays in West End are no longer leisurely when the Commodores are playing.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
-
While the temporary set no longer stands, fans can still visit the farm to enjoy a leisurely hike or take in the lush green landscape.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
The protruding bracket behind the air guide appears to be a cable guide, and the box behind the cable guide is a three-drive cage.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
This 2022 Netflix original documentary will have your skin crawling.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
No one enjoys finding moths fluttering around the flour or tiny caterpillars crawling in the cereal.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The kitten was discovered in a parking lot tied inside a bag, dragging his back legs and covered in severe wounds.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
-
When daylight savings ends next week, dragging yourself out of bed will likely feel even harder.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Those taking GLP-1s showed a slower rise in breath alcohol during the first 10 to 20 minutes and lower overall levels throughout.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Researchers highlighted the current challenges for OCTOID, including slow thermal response and potential fatigue of CLCEs, and the weight of nichrome wires limiting flexibility.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Whether or not to cut back coneflowers is ultimately based on preference, but there are some advantages to delaying the process.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
-
But SpaceX is not remotely ready to deliver, with serial failures of its mammoth Starship rocket delaying development of the lander.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poking. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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