spoke

1 of 3

past tense and archaic past participle of speak

spoke

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: any of the small radiating bars inserted in the hub of a wheel to support the rim
b
: something resembling the spoke of a wheel
2
: any of the projecting handles of a boat's steering wheel

spoke

3 of 3

verb

spoked; spoking

transitive verb

: to furnish with spokes

Examples of spoke in a Sentence

Noun The stick got caught in the wheel's spokes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Federal Reserve keeps its eye on two key spokes of the economy, price stability and maximum employment, and those are the main considerations in its interest-rate decisions. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 26 July 2023 Villa compares the setup to the wheels on a bike, with the fan blades being a bit like spokes and the shroud being like the outer wheel itself. Rob Verger, Popular Science, 12 July 2023 The steering column itself is adjustable for angle, although not reach, and comes with a fat, grippy rim and spokes well positioned for hands at the three- and nine-o'clock positions. Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 7 Sep. 2023 Flowers and Metal Kelsey Ledezma-Rebollo, a florist based in Southern California who is a wheelchair user, designed an arrangement of flowers to be woven into the spokes of Ms. Scalesse’s wheelchair. Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2023 China’s military seems to have a habit of building up some islands as a local hub, with even smaller islands with smaller garrisons acting as spokes, radiating outward from the hub. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2023 The hypercar also rides on a new set of wheels with spokes that look just like the SR-71’s silhouette. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 21 Aug. 2023 Tie four lengths of black yarn to the wreath, spaced evenly, to create eight spokes. Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2023 Array Crew became a spoke in DuVernay’s expanding arts and social impact hub Array Alliance, the nonprofit arm of her company Array. Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2023
Verb
Plus, the 16-inch spoked pneumatic tires on this hose reel easily travel over grass or an uneven landscape. Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2023 The office also said the attorney general spoke to the Van Treese family before ordering the review. Brynn Gingras, CNN, 10 Feb. 2023 The same companion frequently tagged along for these kinds of meetings, according to the sheriff, who said Ray spoke to the prospective buyer by phone. Uwa Ede-Osifo, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2023 As more officers responded to the scene, a Chula Vista police crisis negotiation team member spoke with Sammarco, who continued yelling at officers, threatening the hostage and refusing to cooperate, Campbell said. Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2023 Castro said Biden spoke to how the country has bounced back from the pandemic with the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years and outlined the path ahead on issues such as overhauling the country’s immigration system. Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 8 Feb. 2023 Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Mr. Assad also spoke by phone, official media in both countries said. Aaron Boxerman, WSJ, 7 Feb. 2023 Biden also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, the White House said. Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2023 Officers spoke with witnesses at the scene and were led to DuFault, who was found sitting on an MBTA bus and was arrested, police said. Nick Stoico, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spoke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English spāca; akin to Old High German speihha spoke, Middle Dutch spike spike

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spoke was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near spoke

Cite this Entry

“Spoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spoke. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

spoke

1 of 2

past and archaic past participle of speak

spoke

2 of 2 noun
1
: one of the small bars extending from the hub of a wheel to support the rim
2
: something resembling the spoke of a wheel

More from Merriam-Webster on spoke

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