as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
the poking pace of the repair work has put everything way behind schedule
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in messing
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 crawling
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in dragging
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.
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Recent Examples of poking
Sam Mednick, Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2024
At its most basic, a poke cake is made by poking holes into a warm cake and pouring on a frosting or filling mixture.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2024
That very night, British troops heard Germans singing carols and saw decorations poking up from the opposite trenches.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024
Cast member Bowen Yang appeared dressed as a drone alongside segment host Michael Che, poking fun at the mystery which has left lawmakers and the public demanding answers from government agencies.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
The professional wrestler also gave a direct response to a user who appeared to be poking fun at people’s criticisms that her edibles were too accessible to the dog.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
Loughlin also notably appeared on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm earlier this year, playing a parody of herself and even poking fun at her felony conviction.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Only last year, one Texas woman found a rattlesnake lurking in her toilet, and another also found a rat snake poking out from the U-bend.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
While mowing the lawn back in September, a homeowner in Orange County, New York, spotted strange objects poking through the plants.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
Carter first saw the disease up close in 1988 while visiting a village in Ghana where nearly 350 people had worms poking through their skin.
—Sam Mednick, Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2024
At its most basic, a poke cake is made by poking holes into a warm cake and pouring on a frosting or filling mixture.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2024
That very night, British troops heard Germans singing carols and saw decorations poking up from the opposite trenches.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024
Cast member Bowen Yang appeared dressed as a drone alongside segment host Michael Che, poking fun at the mystery which has left lawmakers and the public demanding answers from government agencies.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
The professional wrestler also gave a direct response to a user who appeared to be poking fun at people’s criticisms that her edibles were too accessible to the dog.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
Loughlin also notably appeared on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm earlier this year, playing a parody of herself and even poking fun at her felony conviction.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Only last year, one Texas woman found a rattlesnake lurking in her toilet, and another also found a rat snake poking out from the U-bend.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
While mowing the lawn back in September, a homeowner in Orange County, New York, spotted strange objects poking through the plants.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poking
Adjective
-
The leisurely pace of change means Americans may never see much of Biden’s proof.—
German Lopez,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
-
So, why not adopt the Italian mindset and embrace a leisurely approach to traveling here this year?—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
While tending to their garden this fall, homeowners in upstate New York spotted what appeared to be two giant teeth protruding from the soil, partially concealed by plant fronds.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
-
According to the news release, the mastodon jaw was found protruding from the topsoil, which caught the homeowner's attention.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA TODAY,
18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The cut is also gaining ground on the Adult Contemporary chart, only at a much slower pace, which is not unusual for that list.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Morgan Stanley also highlighted risks such as weaker consumption and a slower pace of enterprise digitalization.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The method could extend to electromagnetic waves for improving radar and telecommunication systems to prevent unwanted reflections from interfering and causing signal losses.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Dec. 2024
-
One of my personal favorite characters is Liz, Jimmy and Alice’s interfering neighbor.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes,
30 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Another sign of creeping fatigue?—
Liam Twomey,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
-
Invasive plants also spread quickly in multiple ways, such as by seeds, creeping stems and roots, or fruits eaten by birds and dropped elsewhere.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Sunday will remain mild with highs near 52 and lingering rain chances.—
Nour Rahal,
Detroit Free Press,
24 Dec. 2024
-
In the days since, many people have reported unsafe road conditions and lingering snow — along with uncollected leaf piles from fall leaf collection that were scattered back onto their yards by the snowplows, the council members said.—
Maia Pandey,
Journal Sentinel,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
But the $12 billion decline in his fortune has more to do with asset shuffling than stock price movement.—
Julie Goldenberg,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
-
James has been shuffling back and forth between the NBA and the G League.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Then something strange happened — the Falcons started playing like one of the best defenses in the league.—
Josh Kendall,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Deion Sanders began his NFL career with the Falcons in 1989, also playing baseball for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves well into the 1990s.—
Dan Pompei,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Poking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poking. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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