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 BrownfieldExamples of poke in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the old warning against buying a pig in a poke
Verb
I accidentally poked my finger right through the old fabric.
Throwing pencils is not allowed because someone's eye could get poked out.
Noun (2)
please stop giving the cat pokes while it's trying to sleep
you'd better shut up if you don't want a poke on the nose
the constantly bickering husband and wife seem unable to let five minutes pass without an exchange of gratuitous pokes
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Pellegrino, acquired from the San Jose Earthquakes for $300,000 in general allocation money, opened the scoring on Saturday with a right-footed poke, with Dreyer earning the assist.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Antonio Losada, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Or use your finger, poking it about 2 inches into the soil.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
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Noun
Tom Aspinall’s return to the octagon in Abu Dhabi didn’t go as planned on Saturday night, as his bout with Ciryl Gane quickly ended after an accidental poke in the eye.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Pellegrino, acquired from the San Jose Earthquakes for $300,000 in general allocation money, opened the scoring on Saturday with a right-footed poke, with Dreyer earning the assist.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
Tom Aspinall’s heavyweight title defense at UFC 321 ended in chaos after Ciryl Gane accidentally poked him in both eyes late in the first round.
—Antonio Losada, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Or use your finger, poking it about 2 inches into the soil.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poke
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poke. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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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