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.
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Recent Examples of poke
Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2025
His offerings are peppered with humor, double entendres, sports mockery, and the occasional poke at politicians and political events.
—Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2025
Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, appeared to poke fun at the awkward moment.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Noun
At one station, workers load up customizable poke bowls.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2025
His offerings are peppered with humor, double entendres, sports mockery, and the occasional poke at politicians and political events.
—Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025
Verb
Benetti was far from the only person in the sports world to poke fun at the moment.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2025
Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, appeared to poke fun at the awkward moment.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
Verb
-
In Khao Yai National Park near Kong Kaeo Waterfall, for example, researchers found a robber fly attached to the bottom of a leaf with small flower-like growths protruding from its head, thorax and abdomen, earning the new fungus the name Ophiocordyceps floriformis.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 July 2025
-
Wilson was sporting a welt on the protruding bone on his left wrist after the game, which quickly received a wrap from the team’s medical staff.—
Chris Biderman
July 8,
Sacbee.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
Nevertheless, the Obama administration ordered a new intelligence assessment claiming that Russia had interfered in the election to aid then-candidate Donald Trump.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
25 July 2025
-
Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump, according to former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 2019 final report and a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee assessment.—
Sudiksha Kochi,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
Insects and other pests like rodents can easily crawl inside and make themselves at home.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
19 July 2025
-
This remains a place where crabs crawl out of the water at sunset, stingrays swim around surfers in the Pacific, and languidly smiling sloths—the national mascot—remind us all to slow down.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
AFAR Media,
16 July 2025
Verb
-
The season ends with Sophie dragging Kyle’s body through the woods and to the edge of a cliff, dropping it in the water below.—
Melissa Locker,
Time,
23 July 2025
-
Charlie's sudden, grotesque exit becomes the catalyst for the rest of the film, dragging her family down a relentless tailspin of grief (and ancestral demons).—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
But this one was so good, so short, even Lisa couldn’t mess it up.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 July 2025
-
But the bone-dry cabin air and the altitude can really mess things up.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
The kidnapping of a teen girl months earlier lingers in the background.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 July 2025
-
Yet these employment cuts can have devastating consequences on workers and cause lingering damage to the labor market at large.—
Omeed Maghzian,
Harvard Business Review,
21 July 2025
Verb
-
Battling Tool Sprawl Decision fatigue creeps in when consultants juggle a dozen unintegrated AI assistants, each with its own prompt syntax, data connectors and permission model.—
Noah Ohrner,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
From the Viking Mars orbiters and landers of the 1970s through the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, which are still operating today, the Red Planet has crept from the dreadful waste seen by Mariner 4 to a place once covered in shallow oceans and with a possibly temperate atmosphere.—
Rod Pyle,
Space.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
On his short London trip, the designer also made a point of snooping around the city’s vintage shops.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Those drones have been flying without authorities first getting a warrant and Schmitz is not the only resident who has been snooped on.—
Andrew Wimer,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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