poached; poaching; poaches
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached; poaching; poaches
1
: to encroach upon especially for the purpose of taking something
2
: to trespass for the purpose of stealing game
also
: to take game or fish illegally
1
: to trespass on
… a field poached too frequently by the amateur …—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
2
a
: to take (game or fish) by illegal methods
b
: to appropriate (something) as one's own
c
: to attract (someone, such as an employee or customer) away from a competitor
Examples of poach in a Sentence
Verb (1)
poaching fish in a stock flavored with white wine
Recent Examples on the Web
Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Ratings for linear news, both broadcast and cable, have been trending down for years now, and given the shift to streaming, every year sees fewer and fewer eyeballs available to be poached.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Palisades High varsity football coach Dylen Smith scrambled to retain players as coaches from rival schools tried to poach them with the idea that Palisades wouldn’t have a season.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Tips for Making Chicken Spaghetti Don’t feel like poaching your own chicken?
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poach
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Verb
Show producers in the documentary remember that things got so intense behind the scenes that the shows would even steal guests from each other, going to the hotels where guests stayed during filming to poach them.
—Cite this Entry
“Poach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poach. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
poach
1 of 2 verb
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached eggs
poach
2 of 2 verb
: to hunt or fish unlawfully
poacher
noun
Etymology
Verb
Middle English pochen "to boil an egg without its shell so that the white covers the yolk like a bag," from early French pocher (same meaning), from earlier pochier, literally, "to put into a bag," from poche "bag, pocket"
Verb
from early French pocher "to hunt or fish unlawfully"
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
