poked; poking
1
2
a
: to cause to project
poked her head out of the window
b
: to make (one's way) by poking
poked his way through the ruins
c
: to interpose or interject in a meddlesome manner
asked him not to poke his nose into other people's business
1
a
: to make a prodding, jabbing, or thrusting movement especially repeatedly
b
: to strike out at something
2
3
: to move or act slowly or aimlessly
just poked around and didn't accomplish much
4
: to become stuck out or forward : protrude
variants
or less commonly poké
: a Hawaiian salad made typically from cubed pieces of raw seafood (such as tuna) marinated with soy sauce and sesame oil and mixed with onions or other ingredients
While Poke Hut will serve burritos, its specialty is poke bowls. Bases include sushi rice or greens, and from there customers choose a protein like raw or marinated tuna or salmon.—
Andy Brownfield
Andy BrownfieldSynonyms
Examples of poke in a Sentence
Verb
I accidentally poked my finger right through the old fabric.
Throwing pencils is not allowed because someone's eye could get poked out.
Recent Examples on the WebMike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The Oscars controversy was just another poke in the eye.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Playing after a gruesome poke in the eye Thursday, Nikola Jokic led Denver with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024
But consider this: multiple shots in one visit means fewer office visits (and fewer pokes and less trauma for your baby).
—Rebecca Stewart, Parents, 21 Dec. 2023
DeSantis swipes at his top rivals In his opening remarks at the Florida Freedom Summit, Gov. Ron DeSantis said to get rid of the teleprompters -- an indirect poke at former President Donald Trump, who uses teleprompters when giving remarks.
—Abby Cruz, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2023
What are the commentators saying? When the Saudis engineered OPEC+ production cuts in October and again in April, it was widely seen as a poke in the eye to President Biden, who had personally asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to increase output amid stubbornly high inflation.
—Peter Weber, The Week, 6 June 2023
Try a mini baby massage Apply gentle pressure to your baby's leg immediately following the injection to dull the pain from both the superficial poke to the skin and the vaccine entering the muscle, recommends Dr. Swanson.
—Rachel Rabkin Peachman, Parents, 21 Sep. 2023
His family affectionately belittles him; his wife (Julianne Nicholson) passive-aggressively pokes at his passiveness.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2023
Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
In another post, Kourtney poked fun at sisters Kim and Khloé in her April 7 Instagram Stories.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Early worries of a gridlock never materialized as vehicles moved freely down North Waco Street and the sun poked through gray skies by early afternoon.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
Anthony Davis left another in the first quarter after getting poked in the eye.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
The photo of the moment quickly went viral, with many social media users poking fun at Trump for failing to heed warnings about the dangers of staring directly at the sun.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Related: 13 Best Family Resorts in Hawaii, According to Parents and Travel Experts
Food and Drink
Aulani’s dining experiences range from multi-course dinners with sunset ocean views to quick-service Hawaiian poke.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Gone are the days when Musk poked the journalists and celebrity class about paying him $8 a month.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
The hunk of corn poking out like a mountain on the soup’s surface is a familiar wonder.
—Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Less than a half hour before Hendricks County, Indiana, reached totality during the Monday, April 8, solar eclipse, a woman felt a poke on her arm.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The Oscars controversy was just another poke in the eye.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Playing after a gruesome poke in the eye Thursday, Nikola Jokic led Denver with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024
But consider this: multiple shots in one visit means fewer office visits (and fewer pokes and less trauma for your baby).
—Rebecca Stewart, Parents, 21 Dec. 2023
DeSantis swipes at his top rivals In his opening remarks at the Florida Freedom Summit, Gov. Ron DeSantis said to get rid of the teleprompters -- an indirect poke at former President Donald Trump, who uses teleprompters when giving remarks.
—Abby Cruz, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2023
What are the commentators saying? When the Saudis engineered OPEC+ production cuts in October and again in April, it was widely seen as a poke in the eye to President Biden, who had personally asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to increase output amid stubbornly high inflation.
—Peter Weber, The Week, 6 June 2023
Try a mini baby massage Apply gentle pressure to your baby's leg immediately following the injection to dull the pain from both the superficial poke to the skin and the vaccine entering the muscle, recommends Dr. Swanson.
—Rachel Rabkin Peachman, Parents, 21 Sep. 2023
His family affectionately belittles him; his wife (Julianne Nicholson) passive-aggressively pokes at his passiveness.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2023
Verb
Bamboo steamer baskets and a giant folding fan decorate the brick-walled dining room, where each table has a guide on how to eat xiaolongbao (place it on your spoon, poke a hole, suck the broth out and eat the rest, with black vinegar or chili oil if desired).
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
In another post, Kourtney poked fun at sisters Kim and Khloé in her April 7 Instagram Stories.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Early worries of a gridlock never materialized as vehicles moved freely down North Waco Street and the sun poked through gray skies by early afternoon.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
Anthony Davis left another in the first quarter after getting poked in the eye.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
The photo of the moment quickly went viral, with many social media users poking fun at Trump for failing to heed warnings about the dangers of staring directly at the sun.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Related: 13 Best Family Resorts in Hawaii, According to Parents and Travel Experts
Food and Drink
Aulani’s dining experiences range from multi-course dinners with sunset ocean views to quick-service Hawaiian poke.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Gone are the days when Musk poked the journalists and celebrity class about paying him $8 a month.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
The hunk of corn poking out like a mountain on the soup’s surface is a familiar wonder.
—Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near poke
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poke. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poke
1 of 3 noun
chiefly Southern & Midland
poke
2 of 3 verb
poked; poking
1
c
: to produce by piercing, stabbing, or jabbing
poke a hole
2
: to stick out or cause to stick out
poked her head out the window
3
: to be nosy especially about things that do not concern one
4
: to search over or through usually without purpose : rummage
poking around in the attic
5
: to move slowly or lazily
they were just poking along home
poke
3 of 3 noun
: a quick thrust : jab
Etymology
Noun
Middle English poke "bag, sack," from an early French dialect word poke (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English poken "to jab, prod"
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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