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
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1
as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
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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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3
as in to linger
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poke
Chilekasi Adele, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
Mama's Comfort Food & Cocktails This all-day favorite has something for everyone, from waffles and endless variations of Eggs Benedict to seafood favorites like fish and chips and the poke tower.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Nov. 2025
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026
The women clearly have a bone to pick and are trying to find any excuse to poke at Angel, but none of it really works.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poke
Noun
Schlier said a normal poke for the average person is about a half-inch.
—Verb
The guilds will have new, more specific asks, and industry anger around AI is still strong enough that the studios would be dumb to poke the bear any further.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
Verb
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Route 66 Road Relics With its popping turquoise facade and junk cars protruding from the walls, Route 66 Road Relics is hard to miss.—
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Avoid areas of ice with protruding debris like logs or brush.—
Verb
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Campos and her colleagues stress that their role is strictly observational — never to interfere.—
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In May 2025, an individual was arrested at the Phelps Street home on drug possession, criminal trespass and interfering charges, according to the warrant affidavit.—
Verb
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Ultimately, however, the lingering impact of being dragged last summer is known only to the officer – who is said to be experienced, with more than 10 years of service as an ICE deportation officer, according to DHS.—
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Early next week, a brief warmup returns highs to the 30s before cooler air likely lingers deeper into mid-January.—
Verb
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His arm was pinned into the back window of a car as a suspect sped away, dragging him across the pavement for about 100 yards, according to court documents.—
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At least one woman was dragged along the pavement as officers appeared to prepare additional crowd-control devices.—
Verb
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Somebody does something terrible and messes it up.—
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If your smartwatch tracking every heartbeat and sleep cycle hasn’t already given you health anxiety, Kohler wants to mess you up in a new way.—
Verb
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Now, Letts has brought Coon back to Broadway with the Main Stem debut of his 1996 play Bug, a skin-crawling portrayal of people on the fringes.—
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One team member crawled inside and fired paintballs filled with vegetable oil, wildlife organization BEAR League told Fox News Digital on Thursday.—
Verb
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Grow as a creeping vine or along a trellis.—
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But then the Broncos’ offensive woes crept back to the forefront.—
Verb
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Untrustworthy employees There have been cases where employees at security companies snooped through camera feeds.—
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Thornton, a vice president of strategic communications who has worked downtown for 17 years, including a decade with AIMCLEAR, was no stranger to snooping on behalf of his colleagues and his employer.—
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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