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
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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
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Recent Examples of poking
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Here, Ibrahima Konate has the simple task of poking the ball through United’s midfield, Wirtz swaps passes with Szoboszlai, and then has a decent attempt at goal.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Our evidence rests in the eight spindly tomato plants poking up from small containers next to a large window in our back room.
—Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Nice little Rogen dig here that reminds me of This Is the End poking fun at The Green Hornet.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
Secret Service agents spotted a rifle poking through the fenced perimeter of the course.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
In today’s context, a 1996 film that brings down a dangerous ring of child predators feels ahead of its time, but during its release, there was more emphasis on poking holes in Carcaterra’s claim that Sleepers is based on his own true life story.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2026
Instead of proper metal baskets to hold tennis balls, Sam unloaded several lidless coolers from the RV, their insulation poking out through the cracks in the sides, all filled with balls.
—Nicola Harrison, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026
Martha Stewart, however—perhaps the least likely superstar to do so—is poking holes in that fantasy, giving us an iconic new selfie that feels wildly relatable to anyone familiar with the mayhem of getting ready.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
The post quickly drew a wave of reactions online, with some users poking fun at both the situation and Jones’ outfit.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Here, Ibrahima Konate has the simple task of poking the ball through United’s midfield, Wirtz swaps passes with Szoboszlai, and then has a decent attempt at goal.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Our evidence rests in the eight spindly tomato plants poking up from small containers next to a large window in our back room.
—Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Nice little Rogen dig here that reminds me of This Is the End poking fun at The Green Hornet.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
Secret Service agents spotted a rifle poking through the fenced perimeter of the course.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
In today’s context, a 1996 film that brings down a dangerous ring of child predators feels ahead of its time, but during its release, there was more emphasis on poking holes in Carcaterra’s claim that Sleepers is based on his own true life story.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2026
Instead of proper metal baskets to hold tennis balls, Sam unloaded several lidless coolers from the RV, their insulation poking out through the cracks in the sides, all filled with balls.
—Nicola Harrison, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026
Martha Stewart, however—perhaps the least likely superstar to do so—is poking holes in that fantasy, giving us an iconic new selfie that feels wildly relatable to anyone familiar with the mayhem of getting ready.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poking
Adjective
-
Start the day with grab-and-go breakfast tacos and end it with a leisurely dinner of Wagyu beef fajitas or the Dandy Don, an enchilada sampler made with locally famous La Norteña tortillas.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Its activewear combines fitness, sports with the leisurely surf style.—
Ella Gonzales
May 4,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Its panoramic views include the 25-metre lap pool below, the hills of Bandol across the sparkling cerulean water, and on the other side of the terrace, the rugged coastline with iconic Eagle Beak rock protruding from the distant horizon.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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According to court documents cited by Cleveland television station WJW, witnesses told investigators that Bryant was seen walking toward the Costco entrance with what appeared to be a drum magazine protruding from his pocket.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Richie is constantly messing things up, Michael says.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
But Grandmere would not be messing with her phone while driving, anyway.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Damp conditions inside the drum encourage mildew and lingering odors that can be tough to remove from fabric.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
-
The filmmaker explores how Inés’ coming of age mirrors the lingering wounds of Chile’s political transition to democracy from the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet – a theme at the heart of Martelli’s feature debut Chile ’76, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Travelers end up dragging coats through museums or try to shove them into already full suitcases before a train transfer.—
Chantelle Kincy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
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That’s led to a stark split between Wall Street analysts and energy experts, who have been warning that oil supplies could head off a cliff in the coming months or even weeks, dragging the global economy down in the process.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
But so far, progress has been slow — if not nonexistent.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Russia’s bigger and better-equipped army has been engaged in a slow, hard slog in Ukraine.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Several legislative efforts are currently underway to keep the federal government from interfering in California elections.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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The pattern of stripes shows that the photon’s two interfering paths are wave-like, also suggesting that a quantum particle behaves much like a wave.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Police said the driver was eventually able to escape by crawling out a window.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
Staff started out by wearing bear masks and animal furs, then crawling into the enclosure to spoon-feed the cubs formula.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poking. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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