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
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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
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Recent Examples of poke
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025
The new tree from Fancy Feast also comes with cat-safe decorations that can handle pokes from playful paws without breaking.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
Leave new hairs alone You may be tempted to poke and prod at new hairs.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for poke 
Noun
For example, one of these receptors in your skin could be activated by the poke of a sharp object, the cold of an ice pack, the heat from a mug of cocoa, a chemical burn from household bleach, or a combination of all three kinds of stimulation.
—Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025
The new tree from Fancy Feast also comes with cat-safe decorations that can handle pokes from playful paws without breaking.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024
Verb
Peter’s alibi is quite strong, but poking holes through it is not impossible, and Elsbeth is as dogged in her investigations as Peter is in pursuit of his various bad priorities (according to his and Bill’s biography, The Hepson Way, his dislikes include inflation, DEI, and CEOs.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
Leave new hairs alone You may be tempted to poke and prod at new hairs.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for poke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
Verb
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With a large, sail-like dorsal fin protruding from their backs and shimmery scales, these fish have a distinctive appearance.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
6 Feb. 2025
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Last month, Daniel White lifted up his red jail uniform to show a small node of medication the size of a walnut that protruded from his belly.—
Ethan Varian,
The Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Others argue that stopping U.S. funding for groups that oppose various governments could strengthen Washington's standing if it is seen as not seeking to interfere in internal politics.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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The Street Profits, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, interfered in the match and allowed Gargano and Ciampa to retain the titles.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
2 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The victim suffered serious injuries but managed to crawl out of the woods and get help from a passerby, according to court records.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
14 Feb. 2025
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If you're downed during a boss fight, teammates must revive you by whacking your crawling body.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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When users click and drag their cursor across the screen, random clusters of letters appear, followed by sentences that flash briefly before disappearing.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
17 Feb. 2025
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Swansea City have sacked head coach Luke Williams following a poor run of results since the turn of the year that has dragged the Championship club into a relegation battle.—
Stuart James,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Add in a high lottery pick (don’t worry, Raptors fans, Ingram isn’t good enough or healthy enough to mess that up), and their top six salaries alone will push the team to the tax line for a squad that on paper will be fighting for the Play-In.—
John Hollinger,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
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Almost all these variants messed a little too much with the careful balance of simplicity, readability, reasoning, and luck that made the original Minesweeper so addictive.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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There are lingering memories of past layoffs: more than 1,000 jobs in Huntsville were lost when Constellation, a program to return astronauts to the moon, was shut down in 2010.—
Eduardo Medina,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2025
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Poland is cautious, given lingering animosities with Ukraine that date from World War II.—
LORNE COOK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Tocqueville paradox nicely captures the idea of concept creep and explains how people today can be outraged at (historically speaking) minor social injustices, despite being surrounded by (historically speaking) unprecedented equality.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
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Unfortunately, that’s what’s creeping into our city under current leadership.—
Timothy “Chaz” Stevens,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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One of the most interesting reveals came when Jiles admitted to snooping through Dorka’s personal notebook after their breakup, discovering a list of his goals, including a desire to become famous.—
Giana Levy,
refinery29.com,
31 Oct. 2024
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Another voice in the group floated the idea that someone could use an unattended CAC account to snoop on the president's medical records.—
James LaPorta,
CBS News,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near poke
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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