as in increases
to make greater in size, amount, or number
hopefully, offering stock options will stoke workers' commitment to the company
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Recent Examples of stokes
In a city heavily influenced by Buddhism and Taoism, living in apartments associated with ghastly deaths often stokes fear of bad fortune.
—
Chris Lau, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Longer-term, cyclicals and financials are hanging in fine and there’s been no outright defensive turn in sector performance, as Wall Street for now sees a late-2025 soft patch ending as some fiscal help stokes activity in early 2026.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
The threat of mounting risk comes as a hiring slowdown stokes recession fears and inflation proves difficult to fully contain.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
The 45-second bass guitar solo on the outro stokes the flames of the Afropop track’s fiery nature.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2025
Exodus of top talent at Elon Musk’s companies The FT named 23 top executives who left Musk’s companies in recent months, many citing the frustration of working 24/7 and dealing with a CEO who deliberately stokes culture wars.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
This week, Drake stokes the anticipation for his next album with a new track featuring Cash Cobain, psych-pop kingpin Tame Impala floats back into our world, and Lady Gaga dances with the dead.
—Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
The move, which Iran said lacked legal basis, stokes tensions two months after the US bombed Iranian uranium enrichment sites, stalling nuclear talks with the US; the Europeans had set an end-of-August deadline for progress in negotiations.
—semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Other players find that tennis’s learning curve only stokes their interest.
—Alexandra Moe, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
Chris Lau, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Longer-term, cyclicals and financials are hanging in fine and there’s been no outright defensive turn in sector performance, as Wall Street for now sees a late-2025 soft patch ending as some fiscal help stokes activity in early 2026.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
The threat of mounting risk comes as a hiring slowdown stokes recession fears and inflation proves difficult to fully contain.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
The 45-second bass guitar solo on the outro stokes the flames of the Afropop track’s fiery nature.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2025
Exodus of top talent at Elon Musk’s companies The FT named 23 top executives who left Musk’s companies in recent months, many citing the frustration of working 24/7 and dealing with a CEO who deliberately stokes culture wars.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
This week, Drake stokes the anticipation for his next album with a new track featuring Cash Cobain, psych-pop kingpin Tame Impala floats back into our world, and Lady Gaga dances with the dead.
—Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
The move, which Iran said lacked legal basis, stokes tensions two months after the US bombed Iranian uranium enrichment sites, stalling nuclear talks with the US; the Europeans had set an end-of-August deadline for progress in negotiations.
—semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Other players find that tennis’s learning curve only stokes their interest.
—Alexandra Moe, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stokes
Verb
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But there are several notable categories where the quality increases with cost, and one of those is noise-canceling headphones.—
Maggie Slepian,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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Pushing frozen branches upright quickly increases the chances of breakage.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Honda accelerates, colliding with two parked vehicles and a light post.—
Devon Lum,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
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The nation’s siloed and shrinking media environment accelerates this trend.—
Brandon Rottinghaus,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The discussion comes as driverless robotaxi testing and deployment expands rapidly nationwide, with Austin as a major launching pad.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
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Cotie McMahon expands her range As her former program finds its footing without her, Cotie McMahon is showing a different part of her game than existed at Ohio State.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The conditioner’s nourishing formula also tames frizz, boosts moisture, and enhances shine.—
Alyssa Morin,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
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In this edition…Why some workers feel a sense of loss while AI boosts productivity…Anthropic raising fresh $10 Billion at $350 billion valuation…Musk’s xAI closed $20 billion funding with Nvidia backing…Can AI do your job?—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This is the first of a new type of rideshare program flying to that orbit that augments SpaceX’s Transporter program that flies to SSO.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
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Agreeing to a three-year contract with Tatsuya Imai augments a rotation bracing for the loss of Framber Valdez while leaving a footprint in a market this franchise rarely explores.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That extraordinary footage, along with video shot by bystanders and a 3D model created by CNN of the confrontation, shows Good and her wife challenging ICE officers – but also raises new questions about Ross’s tactics and decision to use deadly force.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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In a statement, Stanford student and Drop the Charges organizer Mark Allen Cu said the case raises broader questions about free speech and dissent on campus.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stokes. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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