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
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
Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of Trump before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of a tree line.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
The meme, poking fun at the community, originated in around 2013.
—Dan Gooding
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
His books are satirical, poking light fun at the narrators and their beliefs, but also firmly empathetic.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
The cartoon continues to relish poking its corporate benefactors.
—Nick Marx, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
The resident Rothschild’s giraffes treat bedroom windows like drive-through service, poking their heads in search of the treats guests always have stocked for them.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
During the months of Vance's campaign, memes poking fun at him flooded the internet.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
In July 2024, Thompson's daughter Gaia shared a cheeky post on her Instagram Stories poking fun at 2023's Barbie movie's tagline — and Thompson's ex, Kenneth Branagh.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
In 2009, Tropicana replaced its familiar logo, an orange with a straw poking out, with a minimalist design featuring a glass of orange juice.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of Trump before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of a tree line.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
The meme, poking fun at the community, originated in around 2013.
—Dan Gooding
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
His books are satirical, poking light fun at the narrators and their beliefs, but also firmly empathetic.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
The cartoon continues to relish poking its corporate benefactors.
—Nick Marx, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
The resident Rothschild’s giraffes treat bedroom windows like drive-through service, poking their heads in search of the treats guests always have stocked for them.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
During the months of Vance's campaign, memes poking fun at him flooded the internet.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
In July 2024, Thompson's daughter Gaia shared a cheeky post on her Instagram Stories poking fun at 2023's Barbie movie's tagline — and Thompson's ex, Kenneth Branagh.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poking
Adjective
-
The leisurely trips meander along the Snake River, near Grand Teton National Park, for several hours.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Once a working farm in the time of the gold rush, since 1962 the Greenhorn has been a place where the day is taken at a leisurely pace, where visitors soak in the 600 acres that abuts to 500,000 more acres of public land.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Sharks are often imagined cruising just beneath the waves, dorsal fin protruding from the dark, ocean waters to alert people of their incoming doom.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Eventually, the villager spotted something unexpected—the nearly complete cranium of an unknown, ancient hominin protruding from a small chamber’s interior wall.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
20 Aug. 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
-
Her grandkids are crawling into trouble.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Moncur struggled for seven minutes, dragging Blaze — who was locked on her arm — to the front of the facility in search of help.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The trends have contributed to a slump in consumer confidence, dragging on spending and threatening leaders’ official growth target for this year of around 5%.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Parisian servers may have an undeserved reputation for being slow, but instead of complaining or searching for faster service elsewhere, settle in with a book or newspaper.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Particle has also accused Epic of defaming the company and interfering in its business relations.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The ministry said the statements violate a principle of international law that bars ambassadors from interfering in the host country’s internal affairs.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The long-term effect is a generation carrying debt, stuck in low-wage jobs, and delaying milestones like homeownership or starting families.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Flush-fit door handles fail far more often during side impacts than regular handles, delaying egress or rescue time after a crash.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poking. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share