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
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to linger
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poke
Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Try out common milkweed, poke milkweed, or swamp milkweed, which is ideal for poorly-draining gardens.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 5 May 2026
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
If your tree is in a lawn, poke 6-inch deep holes around the drip line and pour the fertilizer into them.
—Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for poke
Noun
Lee was raised on Oahu, where her family dined on fresh poke at least once a week.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Try out common milkweed, poke milkweed, or swamp milkweed, which is ideal for poorly-draining gardens.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 5 May 2026
Verb
His neighbors baked the entire haul into an enormous pie, and left the heads of the fishes poking through as a celebration of abundance, or maybe an announcement of survival.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
If your tree is in a lawn, poke 6-inch deep holes around the drip line and pour the fertilizer into them.
—Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for poke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poke
Noun
-
Even after losing, Massie took jabs at Trump during his concession speech, insulting the President’s White House ballroom and highlighting the rise in gas prices.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
20 May 2026
-
Over the last year, the companies have been entangled in a mix of suits and countersuits, taking jabs at each other’s products and progress.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
For a club already facing relegation on the pitch, their own fans may have just dealt them the final, crushing blow.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
-
The decision by the Senate's parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, deals a blow to Trump and his administration, which has sought the money for security purposes related to the ballroom.—
Nolan D. McCaskill,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The blowout loss would’ve been enough agony, but there were injuries to match the insult.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
-
Adding insult to injury, Hasna accuses Meriem of using her body to get a cushier, better paying job as maid inside the boss’ luxurious home.—
Jay Weissberg,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The company has been cagey about deadlines in the past, and to keep dunnarts alive past birth, Pask’s team would still need to develop a synthetic pouch for the tiny animal — born smaller than a grain of rice — complete with synthetic nipples that get progressively larger as the baby grows.—
Alex Morris,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
-
Earlier in the year, the brand also teamed up with Chitose Abe, founder of Sacai, for a collaboration where the Japanese designer shrunk the brand’s leather briefcases and turned them into a passport cover, pouch and Chelsea notebook, all with little structured handles.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Under the flaps of his jacket there was a small tear in his T-shirt, directly over his left nipple, which protruded like a knot of purple rope.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
And in turn, the 867-foot monolith protruding from the surrounding Wyoming prairie like the stump of the world’s largest tree became a big draw for tourists.—
Marnie Hunter,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Police said one man interfered as officers tried to assist the victim and refused to back away, ignoring multiple warnings.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Now, sheriff's detectives accuse Cloobeck of trying to interfere in their case against Ventura in the Malibu, Lost Hills area.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination for governor on Tuesday, stunning the field by avoiding the runoff her rivals had hoped would expose lingering doubts about her ability to win in November.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
20 May 2026
-
Through this narrative strand, Dusabejambo, working with co-writer Delphine Agut and her incredible ensemble of actors, compellingly explore the ways in which wounds linger beyond just those people physically present during the atrocities.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Analysts have repeatedly warned that if the war drags on and supply chains are disrupted for long enough, prices for gas and a range of other goods could continue to climb.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Billy, who speaks in a honeyed southern accent, dresses in Old Hollywood drag, and lives alone in the defunct summer camp where Camp Miasma was shot, isn’t just an envoy from another generation but a representative of a more visceral relationship with art.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poke. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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