poke

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
chiefly Southern US and Midland US : bag, sack
2
a
: wallet
b
: purse

poke

2 of 5

verb

poked; poking

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: prod, jab
poked him in the ribs
(2)
: to urge or stir by prodding or jabbing
poked and scolded by the old folksUpton Sinclair
(3)
: to cause to prod : thrust
poked a stick at the snake
b(1)
(2)
: to produce by or as if by piercing, stabbing, or jabbing
poke a hole
poked holes in his heavily footnoted argumentDavid Stoll
c(1)
: hit, punch
poked him in the nose
(2)
: to deliver (a blow) with the fist
(3)
: to hit (a blooper) in baseball
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

intransitive verb

1
a
: to make a prodding, jabbing, or thrusting movement especially repeatedly
b
: to strike out at something
2
a
: to look about or through something without system : rummage
poking around in the attic
b
: meddle
3
: to move or act slowly or aimlessly
just poked around and didn't accomplish much
4
: to become stuck out or forward : protrude

poke

3 of 5

noun (2)

1
a
: a quick thrust : jab
b
: a blow with the fist : punch
2
: a projecting brim on the front of a woman's bonnet
3
: a cutting remark : dig

poke

4 of 5

noun (3)

poke

5 of 5

noun (4)

po·​ke ˌpō-ˈkā How to pronounce poke (audio)
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
Phrases
poke fun at

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 Web
Noun
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 His favorites are the spicier rolls, like the Motto Poki roll, filled with crab meat and shrimp tempura, and piled high with mixed poke, cucumber, tobiko and radish. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 20 July 2023 Among those drives was a 429-yard poke in the semifinals that was the longest of any competitor for the weekend. Mark Kazlowski, Dallas News, 12 July 2023 Agreeing to an interview with Carlson is an extra poke in the eye for Fox News, which is broadcasting the debate. Tori Otten, The New Republic, 18 Aug. 2023
Verb
James mentioned her in his latest comedy special James poked fun at de la cruz—and her gift for gab—in his comedy special Irregardless. Effie Orfanides, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 His comments poked a hole in Mr. Xi’s claim that China was beating poverty. Li Yuan, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 In 2022, Menzel poked fun at the situation once more, taking part in a TikTok challenge. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024 For example, comedian Stephen Colbert poked fun at Biden's boba tea stop. Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 2 Mar. 2024 Tiny cardboard cherry blossoms poke out of perfectly round, pale pink scoops of ice cream. Zoe Glasser, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 This refreshing comedy pokes fun at the zombie genre while lampooning classic horror films and couples retreat comedies. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 In the garden, perennials poked out of various sacks, waiting to be planted. Thomas Korsgaard, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 The policies are still far from official, and yet conservative legal groups are already poking holes in them. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French — more at pocket

Verb

Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch poken to poke

Noun (3)

perhaps modification of Virginia Algonquian pocone, poughkone puccoon

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Noun (2)

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (3)

1708, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poke was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near poke

Cite this Entry

“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poke. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

poke

1 of 3 noun
chiefly Southern & Midland

poke

2 of 3 verb
poked; poking
1
a
: jab, prod
poke a stick at a snake
poked me in the ribs
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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