poke 1 of 3

noun (1)

Definition of pokenext
1
as in jab
a quick thrust please stop giving the cat pokes while it's trying to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

poke

2 of 3

noun (2)

ˈpōk How to pronounce poke (audio)
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

poke

3 of 3

verb

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 linger
to move or act slowly just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to drag
to move slowly they were just poking along home

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
Noun
What’s different at Guard and Grace is Guard, who’s Hawaiian-born, has traveled widely and isn’t afraid to put Pop Rocks into a poke or craft a country ham tasting paired with pimento cheese. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2026 There are also some poke bowls and hot entrées like teriyaki broiled eel over rice on the menu. — Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
Already poked, the league bear hasn’t exactly gone into hibernation, either. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026 Ellis was pulled after Sam Reinhart tied the game at 2 by poking in a loose puck that dribbled into the crease behind the goalie. — CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for poke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
  1. jab
  2. blow
  3. insult
  4. pouch
  5. protrude
  6. interfere
  7. linger
  8. drag
Noun
  • The conservative content creators have also made personal and sometimes racially charged jabs at Gersten, Melwani and Gramps Getaway employees.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman traded jabs in their final debate before November's election.
    — Tom Wait, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of jab
Noun
  • Now, in yet another blow to national self-esteem, the ex-head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND, has been arrested on charges of exploiting state secrets.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The pro-Western opposition parties won big Saturday in the Czech Republic’s vote to fill one-third of the seats in Parliament’s upper house, the Senate, handing a blow to the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • Try to remember that your teen’s eyes were focused squarely on the $100 prize and so this is an issue of overlooking rather than one of insult.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Yet in a land where machismo still reigns, it’s considered a rather severe insult.
    — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • Choose from trios in subtle coordinated colors all packed into a zip pouch for easy transport.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • At its secret premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last month, audience members were required to lock their phones in pouches and warned that security guards with night-vision goggles would be watching for anyone trying to record the screening.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pouch
Verb
  • The face is a glossy black plastic with the exterior lenses slightly protruding, keeping the front from looking like a single flat surface.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In more advanced cases, tissue may protrude through the vaginal opening.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of protrude
Verb
  • The spokesperson defended China's religious policies, saying the government protects freedom of religious belief under Chinese law and does not interfere in religious groups' internal affairs.
    — Mitch Picasso, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The government later clarified that Moscow’s attempts to interfere were unsuccessful.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of interfere
Verb
  • Christmas decorations linger into summer, and grasses grow high through rusting cars.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The orchard and cidery serves pizzas and pastas alongside hot or cold cider, and hosts live music as folks linger along the outdoor tables with drinks and games.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of linger
Verb
  • Season 2 picks up from where things left off, with Michael and Diana having barely arrived in Spain when they are dragged back into the fold to answer questions around Ricardo’s death.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s spokesman denied Britain was being dragged in to the conflict.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of drag

Phrases Containing poke

Browse Nearby Words

poisons
poke
poke (around)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on poke

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poke

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vocation

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All