VocabauraVOCABAURA

poke

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pohk
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpoʊk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick.

  2. To stir up a fire to remove ash or promote burning.

  3. Stir by poking

    “Poke the embers in the fireplace.”

  4. transitive

    To put a poke (device to prevent leaping or breaking fences) on (an animal).

  5. transitive

    To thrust at with the horns; to gore.

  6. transitive

    To thrust (something) in a particular direction such as the tongue.

noun

  1. A prod, jab, or thrust.

  2. us

    A device to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences, consisting of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward.

  3. A long, wide sleeve.

  4. An old, worn-out horse.

  5. usslang

    A lazy person; a dawdler.

  6. usslang

    A stupid or uninteresting person.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick.

Used this way, poke is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use poke

  • “Poke the embers in the fireplace.”verb

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “poke”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

poke funpoke bonnetpoke throughcaptain poke

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • pokernounInflected form

    Fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • pokeynounDerived noun · specialist

    A correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence).

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • poke funverbCompound term

    Subject to laughter or ridicule.

  • poke intoverbCompound term

    Enter briefly.

  • poke milkweednounCompound term

    Milkweed of the eastern United States with leaves resembling those of pokeweed.

  • poke outverbCompound term

    Reach outward in space.

  • poke bonnetnounCompound term

    A hat tied under the chin.

  • poker alumrootnounCompound term

    Plant with leathery heart-shaped leaf blades clustered at base of long stalks with greenish-white flowers clustered along the upper part.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to prod

stab

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “poke” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.