Poke

/poʊk/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A prod, jab, or thrust.
  • Grammar: poke is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: jab, sack, aid to navigation, alarm.
  • Useful contrasts: avoid, caress, close.
  • Usage evidence: I bought a pig in a poke yesterday.

How to use "poke"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "poke" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. 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 "poke" 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 "poke" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "poke" 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 "poke" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "jab" 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 "poke", 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. 1
    A prod, jab, or thrust.
  2. 2
    A sack or bag. Appalachia, archaic

    "And then he drew a dial from his poke, And, looking on it with lack-lustre eye, Says very wisely, ‘It is ten o'clock[…]’"

  3. 3
    Pokeweed, and its berries. dialectal, uncountable

    "[W]hen rodents were scarce they ate chestnuts and rhubarb and poke and other wild food[.]"

  4. 4
    Slices or cubes of raw fish or other raw seafood, mixed with sesame oil, seaweed, sea salt, herbs, spices, or other flavorful ingredients. Hawaii, uncountable

    "Though I'd often eaten sashimi, poke was then completely new to me—delicious rubies of cubed fish dressed in light sesame oil, garnished with minced bits of reddish-brown seaweed and the ground centers of kukui nuts (see recipe, next page)."

  5. 5
    (boxing) a blow with the fist wordnet
Show 14 more definitions
  1. 6
    A lazy person; a dawdler. US, slang

    "The slowness of this stupid poke tortures me to death."

  2. 7
    A long, wide sleeve.
  3. 8
    a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow) wordnet
  4. 9
    A stupid or uninteresting person. US, slang

    "I see you shaking your head at me, mother, and reminding me of 'That mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me;' but I don't believe I go on so; if I have nothing to say I keep still, and you'd better be a stupid poke, which I often feel myself, than waste the time with such trash."

  5. 10
    An ice cream cone or a bag of chips Northern-Ireland, Scotland
  6. 11
    a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases wordnet
  7. 12
    An old, worn-out horse.

    "It was feared the dear old poke I had been riding could not keep up with the rest on this long day's journey: so I had "the cook's horse," who did not understand my method of pulling my dear old beast's head from the edge of the ravine gently with my bridle."

  8. 13
    someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind wordnet
  9. 14
    A device to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences, consisting of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward. US

    "I find from their testimony , which was not contradicted , that the placing of such a poke upon such a colt in such a pasture is not considered dangerous, and that farmers are accustomed so to poke their own horses, but that they are not accustomed to put pokes on or 'hamper' horses owned by other persons without the authorization of the owner."

  10. 15
    tall coarse perennial American herb having small white flowers followed by blackish-red berries on long drooping racemes; young fleshy stems are edible; berries and root are poisonous wordnet
  11. 16
    The storage of a value in a memory address, typically to modify the behaviour of a program or to cheat at a video game. dated

    "[…] everywhere you see listings festooned with Goto statements and peppered with peeks and pokes."

  12. 17
    A notification sent to get another user's attention on social media or an instant messenger. informal

    "It could be described as a poke, but not a friendly one. For those who have not yet succumbed to Facebook, the latest craze on the internet, a ‘poke’ is an electronic greeting sent, for example, to an old friend from university."

  13. 18
    A poke bonnet.

    "Well then, I declare, I'd rather see Miss Lawton in that old poke – old as it is! –than in the finest new bonnet the Squire's lady ever wore."

  14. 19
    A hit, especially an extra base hit. slang
Verb
  1. 1
    To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick.

    "Ward showed good pace to beat the advancing Reina to the ball and poke a low finish into the corner."

  2. 2
    poke or thrust abruptly wordnet
  3. 3
    To stir up a fire to remove ash or promote burning.
  4. 4
    make a hole by poking wordnet
  5. 5
    To rummage; to feel or grope around. figuratively

    "I poked about in the rubble, trying to find my lost keys."

Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument wordnet
  2. 7
    To modify the value stored in (a memory address). dated, transitive

    "The 200 UDGs may be used either by paging between 10 sets of 20 UDGs or, alternatively, by displaying 96 different characters by poking the system variable CHARS with 256 less than the starting address of your graphics."

  3. 8
    stir by poking wordnet
  4. 9
    To put a poke (device to prevent leaping or breaking fences) on (an animal). transitive

    "to poke an ox"

  5. 10
    search or inquire in a meddlesome way wordnet
  6. 11
    To thrust at with the horns; to gore. transitive
  7. 12
    To notify (another user) of activity on social media or an instant messenger. informal, transitive

    "Indeed, when we poke users who normally do not have access to our profiles, they will be able to temporarily see our Basic Info, Work Info, and Education Info."

  8. 13
    To thrust (something) in a particular direction such as the tongue. transitive
  9. 14
    To penetrate in sexual intercourse. slang, transitive, vulgar

    "Maj. Cloutier commented to Lt. Clemm, "You know what they say about a girl who smokes: If she smokes, she pokes.""

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
jabsackaid to navigationalarmamber lightamble

Example

"I bought a pig in a poke yesterday."

Common questions

What does "poke" mean?

A prod, jab, or thrust.

What is a synonym for "poke"?

Common synonyms include: jab, sack, aid to navigation, alarm, amber light, amble.

How do you use "poke" in a sentence?

I bought a pig in a poke yesterday.

How do you pronounce "poke"?

Pronounced /poʊk/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English poken, perhaps from Middle Dutch poken or Middle Low German poken, both from Proto-West Germanic *pukōn or similar, which is itself of uncertain origin, but may be from an imitative Proto-Germanic root *puk-. Doublet of poach.

Etymology 2

From Middle English poke, from Anglo-Norman poke (whence pocket), from Frankish *poka. More at pocket. Doublet of pouch.

Etymology 3

Clipping of pocan (“pokeweed”) or directly borrowed from Powhatan pocan. See pocan for more.

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Hawaiian poke (literally “to cut crosswise into pieces”).

More for "poke"

Synonyms

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