1
2
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
you'd better shut up if you don't want a poke on the nose
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the constantly bickering husband and wife seem unable to let five minutes pass without an exchange of gratuitous pokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
chiefly Southern & Midland
as in pouch
a container made of a flexible material (as paper or plastic)
the old warning against buying a pig in a poke
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to interfere
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
told him to stop poking into other people's business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to crawl
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of poke
Adam Kepecs, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2025
And with two goals over the final 13:11 of regulation, thanks to Aidan Thompson’s rebound and Jared Wright’s 5-hole poke, the Pios darn near gave everybody in maroon a carDUvascular episode late.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2025
Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 May 2025
As a member of Connecticut Sun in 2024, Carrington gave Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark a black eye after poking her during a game in the first round of the playoffs in September.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Noun
In the first, mice repeatedly poked their noses into a food port, with progressively more pokes required to earn each food pellet.
—Adam Kepecs, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2025
And with two goals over the final 13:11 of regulation, thanks to Aidan Thompson’s rebound and Jared Wright’s 5-hole poke, the Pios darn near gave everybody in maroon a carDUvascular episode late.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
Once it’s set, retrieve the glass, poke a small hole in the center of the foam with a straw or bar spoon and slowly pour the remainder of the cocktail into the center hole until the foam head lifts above the rim of the glass.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 May 2025
As a member of Connecticut Sun in 2024, Carrington gave Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark a black eye after poking her during a game in the first round of the playoffs in September.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
Verb
-
Alleging an intrusive shed, a protruding carport and sprinkler damage, a Meridian church has taken legal action against a longtime neighbor.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
30 May 2025
-
Using a chemical glove box, a polycarbonate glass box with protruding gloves that shields substances from oxygen and moisture, scientists combined the berkelium metal with an organic molecule containing only carbon and hydrogen to create a chemical reaction.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The government argues that district courts are expressly barred under the Immigration and Nationality Act from interfering in the execution of final removal orders, particularly under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(g).—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2025
-
The only way McAfee wins this is if someone interferes and costs Gunther the match or Gunther beats him so violently that he gets disqualified.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
Verb
-
The Zenbook crawled to the finish line in every test.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2025
-
The men allegedly crawled out of the hole to a loading dock, scaled an exterior concrete wall of the jail complex and darted across a freeway to freedom.—
Kati Weis,
CBS News,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Over the Great Plains, the high-level flow of winds has been pushing the smoke south, and shifting upper-level winds from the west will drag the smoke over the eastern states, according to The Weather Channel.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
-
The phone call between Trump and Putin came as the war, which has dragged on for nearly 3.5 years, shows no signs of abating despite mounting pressure for a diplomatic breakthrough.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
And to fill that space, fill it beautifully, not take up that space and mess it up in a sense.—
Danielle Pointdujour,
Essence,
23 May 2025
-
Our frail nature, damaged by our propensity to mess things up, stands in need of grace and salvation.—
Anna Rowlands,
Time,
12 May 2025
Verb
-
That’s because there will be periods of heavy rain and a mass of lingering unstable and humid air swirling about South Florida.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
-
The finish is long and sweet, with lingering notes of peat smoke, honey, vanilla, and a hint of oak spice.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
For years, the Birch Glacier has been creeping down the mountainside, pressured by shifting debris near the summit.—
Dave Graham,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 May 2025
-
Despite this, his ownership didn’t creep over the 10 per cent mark until the period around Newcastle’s Double Gameweek 32, with his brace against Leicester City in Gameweek 31 a particular highlight for my season, providing my biggest rank jump of the run-in.—
Holly Shand,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
That time Matty fetched Alfie’s wallet from Olympia’s office, lest her boss discover the kid had been snooping?—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
3 Apr. 2025
-
TikTok confirmed in 2022 that four of its employees had been fired for using the app to snoop on several journalists in an effort to track down their sources.—
Brian X. Chen,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share