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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of poking
Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
In June 2021, Megan posted a birthday tribute to Stellan, poking fun at his lack of an Instagram account in the caption.
—Kelsey Lentz, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Anderson’s bleached hair was blown and teased away from her forehead, with tinges of pink poking through.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 12 Jan. 2026
What makes the relationship so fun from the beginning is when [Emily] get[s] to start poking cracks in my outer shell, and then see [Alex] breaking down.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2026
Briar wears an all-covering black-widow outfit, with just one finger poking out.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
The former child actor dove into his speech by first poking fun at his Home Alone fame.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
In June 2021, Megan posted a birthday tribute to Stellan, poking fun at his lack of an Instagram account in the caption.
—Kelsey Lentz, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Anderson’s bleached hair was blown and teased away from her forehead, with tinges of pink poking through.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 12 Jan. 2026
What makes the relationship so fun from the beginning is when [Emily] get[s] to start poking cracks in my outer shell, and then see [Alex] breaking down.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2026
Briar wears an all-covering black-widow outfit, with just one finger poking out.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poking
Adjective
-
Other advantages include the leisurely pace, the excellent service on board, and the quality of the food and wine served.—
David Swanson,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
-
New research suggests that light daily movement, such as gentle stretching, a leisurely stroll, or easy household chores like vacuuming are linked to a lower risk of death in people with these overlapping conditions, called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Avoid areas of ice with protruding debris like logs or brush.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Most often, she was seen with protruding, sculptural hair, abstract eye shadow, and vibrant lip colors, all in line with her aesthetic at the Mugler 1986 show.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Dec. 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
-
Ultimately, however, the lingering impact of being dragged last summer is known only to the officer – who is said to be experienced, with more than 10 years of service as an ICE deportation officer, according to DHS.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The lingering fear of Jerry's wrath?—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Kerra, the dog referenced in the video, had developed a grapefruit-sized mass on her breast tissue that was dragging on the ground and causing significant discomfort.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
That takes nothing away, though, from the epic job Herbert did dragging the Chargers through the second half of the season.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Traditional humanoid robots depend heavily on data collected by human operators, which is slow and expensive.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Her days were slow and intentional.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In May 2025, an individual was arrested at the Phelps Street home on drug possession, criminal trespass and interfering charges, according to the warrant affidavit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In it, Roosevelt built on the Monroe Doctrine, which was formulated originally by President James Monroe to warn European powers away from interfering in the region.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The country is crawling with hot springs and spa retreats, like the famed Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Jan. 2026
-
My favorite space is the private balcony, crawling with green Spanish tile and bestowed with a bistro table and ashtray.—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poking. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
