Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense pokes, present participle poking, past tense, past participle poked
1. verb
If you poke someone or something, you quickly push them with your finger or with a sharp object.
Lindy poked him in the ribs. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: jab, hit, push, stick More Synonyms of poke
Poke is also a noun.
John smiled at them and gave Richard a playful poke.
2. verb
If you poke one thing into another, you push the first thing into the second thing.
He poked his finger into the hole. [VERB noun + into]
3. verb
If something pokes out of or through another thing, you can see part of it appearing from behind or underneath the other thing.
He saw the dog's twitching nose poke out of the basket. [V + out of]
His fingers poked through the worn tips of his gloves. [VERB + through]
Synonyms: protrude, stick, thrust, jut More Synonyms of poke
4. verb
If you poke your head through an opening or if it pokes through an opening, you push it through, often so that you can see something moreeasily.
Julie tapped on my door and poked her head in. [VERB noun adverb/preposition]
We hadn't been able to poke our heads out and see what was going on. [VERB noun adverb/preposition]
Raymond's head poked through the doorway. [VERB preposition/adverb]
5. to poke fun at
6. to poke your nose into something
Phrasal verbs:
See poke around
See poke at
More Synonyms of poke
poke in British English1
(pəʊk)
verb
1. (transitive)
to jab or prod, as with the elbow, the finger, a stick, etc
2. (transitive)
to make (a hole, opening, etc) by or as by poking
3. (whenintr, often foll by at)
to thrust (at)
4. (transitive) informal
to hit with the fist; punch
5. (usually foll byin, out, out of, through, etc)
to protrude or cause to protrude
don't poke your arm out of the window
6. (transitive)
to stir (a fire, pot, etc) by poking
7. (intransitive)
to meddle or intrude
8. (intr; often foll by about or around)
to search or pry
9. (intransitive; often foll byalong)
to loiter, potter, dawdle, etc
10. (transitive) vulgar, slang
(of a man) to have sexual intercourse with
11. poke fun at
12. poke one's nose into
noun
13.
a jab or prod
14. short for slowpoke
15. informal
a blow with one's fist; punch
16. vulgar, slang
an act of sexual intercourse
Word origin
C14: from Low German and Middle Dutch poken to thrust, prod, strike
poke in British English2
(pəʊk)
noun
1. dialect
a pocket or bag
2. a pig in a poke
Word origin
C13: from Old Northern French poque, of Germanic origin; related to Old English pocca bag, Old Norse pokipouch, Middle Dutch poke bag; compare poach2
poke in British English3
(pəʊk)
noun
1. Also called: poke bonnet
a woman's bonnet with a brim that projects at the front, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries
2.
the brim itself
Word origin
C18: from poke1 (in the sense: to thrust out, project)
poke in British English4
(pəʊk)
noun
short for pokeweed
poke in American English1
(poʊk)
verb transitiveWord forms: poked or ˈpoking
1.
a.
to push or jab with a stick, finger, etc.; prod
b. Slang
to hit with the fist
2.
to make by poking
to poke a hole in a bag
3.
to stir up (a fire) by jabbing the coals with a poker
4.
to thrust (something) forward; intrude
to poke one's head out a window
verb intransitive
5.
to make jabs with a stick, poker, etc. (at something)
6.
to intrude; meddle
7.
to pry or search
sometimes with about or around
8.
to stick out; protrude
9.
to live or move slowly or lazily; loiter; putter; dawdle
often with along
noun
10.
a.
the act of poking; jab; thrust; nudge
b. Slang
a blow with the fist
11.
slowpoke
12.
a poke bonnet, or its projecting front brim
Idioms:
poke fun at
Word origin
ME poken < MDu or LowG
poke in American English2
(poʊk)
noun
1. Dialectal
a sack or bag
2. Archaic
a pocket
3. Slang
a.
a wallet or purse
b.
money, esp. all that one has
Word origin
OFr poke, poque < Frank *pokka < IE base *beu-, to blow up, swell > puck2
poke in American English3
(poʊk)
US
noun
pokeweed
Word origin
earlier pocan < AmInd (Virginian) puccoon, weed used for staining
More idioms containing
poke
poke your nose into something
Examples of 'poke' in a sentence
poke
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
He spent much time poking around bomb sites during the 1970s and came across some surprising remnants of old London.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The owner of a local gun shop pokes his head out of the door suspiciously as I take a photograph of his frontage.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
What if the tax man goes poking around?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
You can imagine my dismay as the years slipped by and no flame poked up his head.
Christina Dodd SOMEDAY MY PRINCE (1999)
It also pokes fun at its key figures.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Steel poked a finger under his collar and scratched again at his neck.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
The piece also poked fun at claims that he was one of the few to spot the downturn coming.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Instead of one that looks like a tortoise with its bonnet and wheels poking out from underneath a ridiculously swollen shell?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Legs and arms were poking and floating, defying laws of human biology and gravity.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But out on the grassy fields, impressive numbers of snipe poked and probed about.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We held our breath and listened and then came another noise, like some one poking a fire.
E. Nesbit The Treasure Seekers (1899)
One mannequin has a taped mouth and a missing hand, while an arm pokes from a drawer.
The Sun (2015)
From then on, it was a matter of watching the fire, poking in more sticks as the embers burnt low.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Word lists with
poke
Social networking terms
In other languages
poke
British English: poke /pəʊk/ VERB
If you poke someone or something, you quickly push them with your finger or with a sharp object.
She poked him in the ribs.
American English: poke
Arabic: يَلْكُمُ
Brazilian Portuguese: cutucar
Chinese: 戳
Croatian: bockati
Czech: šťouchnout
Danish: støde
Dutch: porren
European Spanish: clavar
Finnish: tökätä
French: donner un coup à
German: stupsen
Greek: μπήγω
Italian: colpire
Japanese: つつく
Korean: 찌르다
Norwegian: skubbe
Polish: szturchnąć
European Portuguese: espetar
Romanian: a înghionti
Russian: тыкать
Latin American Spanish: clavar
Swedish: stöta
Thai: แหย่ด้วยข้อศอกหรือนิ้ว
Turkish: dürtmek
Ukrainian: ткнути
Vietnamese: chọc
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All related terms of 'poke'
poke at
If you poke at something, you make lots of little pushing movements at it with a sharp object.
poke around
If you poke around or poke about for something, you search for it, usually by moving lots of objects around.
poke bonnet
a bonnet with a projecting front brim
poke fun at
to mock or ridicule
poke mullock at
to ridicule
a pig in a poke
something bought or received without prior sight or knowledge
false hellebore
any of various plants belonging to the genus Veratrum , especially V . viride , which has clusters of yellowish-green flowers and is the source of substances used in certain medicines and insecticides
poke borak at someone
to jeer at someone
poke one's nose into
to pry into or interfere in
make fun of
If you make fun of someone or something or poke fun at them, you laugh at them, tease them, or make jokes about them in a way that causes them to seem ridiculous .
buy a pig in a poke
to buy , get , or agree to something without sight or knowledge of it in advance
poke your nose into something
to interfere in something that does not concern you
to make fun of to poke fun at
If you make fun of someone or something or poke fun at them, you laugh at them, tease them, or make jokes about them in a way that causes them to seem ridiculous .
to poke your nose into something stick one's nose into sth
If someone pokes their nose into something or sticks their nose into something, they try to interfere with it even though it does not concern them.
Chinese translation of 'poke'
poke
(pəuk)
vt
(= jab) (with finger, stick) 戳 (chuō)
(= put)
to poke sth in (to) sth把某物戳到某物中 (bǎ mǒuwù chuōdào mǒuwù zhōng)
n
to give sb/sth a poke捅捅某人/某物 (tǒngtong mǒurén/mǒuwù)
to poke the fire拨(撥)火 (bōhuǒ)
to poke one's head out of the window/around the door etc把头(頭)探出窗户(戶)/门(門)等 (bǎ tóu tànchū chuānghu/mén děng)
to poke fun at sb/sth嘲笑某人/某物 (cháoxiào mǒurén/mǒuwù)
All related terms of 'poke'
poke at
( prod ) 拨(撥)弄 bōnòng
poke out
( stick out ) 露出 lòuchū
poke about
( search )
to poke the fire
拨(撥)火 bōhuǒ
to give sb/sth a poke
捅捅某人/某物 tǒngtong mǒurén/mǒuwù
to poke fun at sb/sth
嘲笑某人/某物 cháoxiào mǒurén/mǒuwù
to poke or stick one's nose into sth
( inf ) 干预(預)某事 gānyù mǒushì
to poke one's head out of the window/around the door etc