What does "spoke" mean?
A support structure that connects the axle or the hub of a wheel to the rim.
Spoke
/spəʊk/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A support structure that connects the axle or the hub of a wheel to the rim.
- Grammar: spoke is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: address, approach, arm, arrest.
- Useful contrasts: ignore, listen, omit.
- Usage evidence: Bill Clinton spoke in ambiguous language when asked to describe his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
How to use "spoke"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spoke" 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 "spoke" 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 "spoke" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spoke" 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 "spoke" 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 "address" 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 "spoke", 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 A support structure that connects the axle or the hub of a wheel to the rim.
"The wheels were at first copies of a light hand-cart wheel, the wood spokes were brought together by tapering the spoke ends and wedging them together at the nave or hub and inserting the other ends in slots in the felloe or wood rim."
- 2 one of the crosspieces that form the steps of a ladder wordnet
- 3 A projecting handle of a steering wheel.
- 4 support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim wordnet
- 5 A rung of a ladder.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A stick inserted into the wheel of a vehicle to keep the wheel from turning.
- 7 One of the outlying points in a hub-and-spoke model of transportation.
Verb
- 1 To furnish (a wheel) with spokes. transitive
- 2 simple past of speak form-of, past
- 3 past participle of speak archaic, form-of, nonstandard, participle, past
"Cleo. Hye thee againe, / I haue ſpoke already, and it is provided."
Example
"Bill Clinton spoke in ambiguous language when asked to describe his relationship with Monica Lewinsky."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "spoke"?
Common synonyms include: address, approach, arm, arrest, asymptote, bar.
How do you use "spoke" in a sentence?
Bill Clinton spoke in ambiguous language when asked to describe his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
How do you pronounce "spoke"?
Pronounced /spəʊk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English spoke, from Old English spāca, from Proto-West Germanic *spaikā, from Proto-Germanic *spaikǭ. Compare Scots spaik (“spoke”), Dutch spaak and English spike.
Etymology 2
From Middle English speke, spake, spoke, spak, spek, speken, spoken, from Old English spæc, specen.