What does "poach" mean?
The act of cooking in simmering liquid.
Poach
/ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of cooking in simmering liquid.
- Grammar: poach is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abstract, and, annex, appropriate.
- Useful contrasts: charbroiled, broil, charbroiling.
- Usage evidence: Tom asked Mary to teach him how to poach an egg in a microwave oven.
How to use "poach"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "poach" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "poach" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "poach" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "poach" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "poach" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abstract" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "poach", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of cooking in simmering liquid.
"Peaches are so perfect they need very little to make them extra special—just a quick poach in basil-scented rosé wine and a few adoring strawberries."
- 2 The act of taking something unfairly, as in tennis doubles where one player returns a shot that their partner was better placed to return.
Verb
- 1 To cook (something) in simmering or very hot liquid (usually water; sometimes wine, broth, or otherwise). transitive
"Eldridge closed the despatch-case with a snap and, rising briskly, walked down the corridor to his solitary table in the dining-car. Mulligatawny soup, poached turbot, roast leg of lamb—the usual railway dinner."
- 2 To trespass on another's property to take fish or game. ambitransitive
- 3 cook in a simmering liquid wordnet
- 4 To be cooked in such manner. intransitive
"The white of an egg with spirit of wine, doth bake the egg into clots, as if it began to poach."
- 5 To take game or fish illegally. ambitransitive
"A 2016 study using carbon dating of more than 200 tusks from seizures spanning nine countries suggested that illegal ivory originates from elephants poached recently, instead of being pilfered from aging stockpiles kept by various nations."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 hunt illegally wordnet
- 7 To take anything illegally or unfairly. ambitransitive, broadly
"Chelsea's embarrassment was symbolised by Ross Barkley's inexplicable header straight to the feet of Aguero to poach his second and Ilkay Gundogan capped that early blitz with a low drive."
- 8 To intrude; to interfere; to get involved inappropriately, without welcome. figuratively
"to poach in foreign academic disciplines"
- 9 To entice (an employee or customer) to switch from a competing company to one's own. ambitransitive
"EBay has accused three Amazon managers of illegally conspiring to poach its sellers, escalating a monthslong feud between two of the country’s largest e-commerce companies."
- 10 To make soft or muddy by trampling.
"Cattle coming to drink had punched and poached the river bank into a mess of mud."
- 11 To become soft or muddy by being trampled on.
"Chalky and clay lands […] chap in summer, and poach in winter."
- 12 To stab; to pierce; to spear or drive or plunge into something. obsolete
"They vse alſo to poche them with an instrument somewhat like the Sammon-speare"
Antonyms
Example
"Tom asked Mary to teach him how to poach an egg in a microwave oven."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "poach"?
Common synonyms include: abstract, and, annex, appropriate, bag, bake.
How do you use "poach" in a sentence?
Tom asked Mary to teach him how to poach an egg in a microwave oven.
How do you pronounce "poach"?
Pronounced /ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English pochen (“to poach (eggs)”), from Old French pocher "to put (egg yolks) in pockets" (i.e. in bags formed by the whites), from Old French poche (“pocket”).
Etymology 2
From Old French pocher, pochier (“to trample, poach into”). Doublet of poke.