Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense stokes, present participle stoking, past tense, past participle stoked
1. verb
If you stoke a fire, you add coal or wood to it to keep it burning.
She was stoking the stove with sticks of maple. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: fuel, rekindle, add fuel to, tend More Synonyms of stoke
Stoke up means the same as stoke.
He stoked up the fire in the hearth. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
2. verb
If you stoke something such as a feeling, you cause it to be felt more strongly.
These demands are helping to stoke fears of civil war. [VERB noun]
Stoke up means the same as stoke.
He has sent his proposals in the hope of stoking up interest for the idea. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
stoke in British English
(stəʊk)
verb
1.
to feed, stir, and tend (a fire, furnace, etc)
2. (transitive)
to tend the furnace of; act as a stoker for
Word origin
C17: back formation from stoker
stoke in American English1
(stoʊk)
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: stoked or ˈstoking
1.
to stir up and feed fuel to (a fire, furnace, etc.)
2.
to tend (a furnace, boiler, etc.)
3.
to feed or eat large quantities of food; fill (up)
Word origin
back-form. < stoker
stoke in American English2
(stoʊk)
noun
a basic unit in the CGS system, equal to the viscosity of a fluid, measured in poises, divided by the density of the fluid, measured in grams per cubic centimeter (0.0001 square meter per second): abbrev. St
Word origin
after Sir George Stokes (1819-1903), Irish-born physicist & mathematician
Examples of 'stoke' in a sentence
stoke
They were stoking the fires of commerce.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Soaring factory prices are stoking fears of inflation.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
His online notoriety has stoked offline interest.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
His disappearance has stoked speculation that that era may be drawing to a close.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He is trying to stoke up the fire.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Future investment returns may be diluted if the emergency measures stoke inflation.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
His taking us into an illegal war stoked the very menace he warns about.
The Sun (2014)
But it is oil rather than fish that is stoking this cold war.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But the musical rapport and mutually stoked intellectual fire of these two pianists is a wonder to behold.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This nefarious act stoked his interest.
Michael Burleigh Earthly Powers: Religion and Politics in Europe from the Enlightenment to the GreatWar (2005)
Mountains of coal are stoking a Chinese furnace.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Yesterday its 37 per cent plunge in profits stoked the speculation again.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The changing of the guard will also stoke speculation over the company's future.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Stoke the fire, roast some chestnuts and get reading.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There's a distinct whiff of anthropological research in the respectful view of men in pubs and stoking furnaces.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Officials have already said that to protect the environment the region may have to cut back the coal production that is stoking its economic furnace.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
These forces had stoked inflation.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The workers stoked the fires.
Philip Marsden The Barefoot Emperor: An Ethiopian Tragedy (2007)
In turn, this acceleration in activity put upward pressure on prices, stoking inflation.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The rouble has lost 30 per cent of its value since the beginning of the year, stoking inflation.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
stoke
British English: stoke VERB
If you stoke a fire, you add coal or wood to it to keep it burning.