Adjacent Words

Poke definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

POKE, n. A pocket; a small bag; as a pig in a poke.
POKE

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: 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 [syn: poke, pigeon berry, garget, scoke, Phytolacca americana]
2: someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind [syn: dawdler, drone, laggard, lagger, trailer, poke]
3: a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases [syn: sack, poke, paper bag, carrier bag]
4: a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow); "he warned me with a jab with his finger"; "he made a thrusting motion with his fist" [syn: jab, jabbing, poke, poking, thrust, thrusting]
5: (boxing) a blow with the fist; "I gave him a clout on his nose" [syn: punch, clout, poke, lick, biff, slug] v
1: poke or thrust abruptly; "he jabbed his finger into her ribs" [syn: jab, prod, stab, poke, dig]
2: search or inquire in a meddlesome way; "This guy is always nosing around the office" [syn: intrude, horn in, pry, nose, poke]
3: stir by poking; "poke the embers in the fireplace"
4: hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument; "the salesman pounded the door knocker"; "a bible-thumping Southern Baptist" [syn: thump, pound, poke]
5: make a hole by poking

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French — more at pocket Date: 13th century 1. chiefly Southern & Midland bag, sack 2. a. wallet b. purse II. verb (poked; poking) Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch poken to poke Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. (1) prod, jab <poked him in the ribs> (2) to urge or stir by prodding or jabbing <poked and scolded by the old folks — Upton Sinclair> (3) to cause to prod ; thrust <poked a stick at the snake> b. (1) pierce, stab (2) to produce by or as if by piercing, stabbing, or jabbing <poke a hole> <poked holes in his heavily footnoted argument — David Stoll> c. (1) hit, punch <poked him in the nose> (2) to deliver (a blow) with the fist (3) to hit (a blooper) in baseball 2. a. to cause to project <poked her head out of the window> b. to make (one's way) by poking <poked his way through the ruins> c. to interpose or interject in a meddlesome manner <asked him not to poke his nose into other people's business> intransitive verb 1. a. to make a prodding, jabbing, or thrusting movement especially repeatedly b. to strike out at something 2. a. to look about or through something without system ; rummage <poking around in the attic> b. meddle 3. to move or act slowly or aimlessly <just poked around and didn't accomplish much> 4. to become stuck out or forward ; protrude III. noun Date: circa 1796 1. a. a quick thrust ; jab b. a blow with the fist ; punch 2. a projecting brim on the front of a woman's bonnet 3. a cutting remark ; dig IV. noun Etymology: perhaps modification of Virginia Algonquian pocone, poughkone puccoon Date: 1708 pokeweed

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v. 1 (foll. by in, up, down, etc.) a tr. thrust or push with the hand, point of a stick, etc. b intr. be thrust forward. 2 intr. (foll. by at etc.) make thrusts with a stick etc. 3 tr. thrust the end of a finger etc. against. 4 tr. (foll. by in) produce (a hole etc. in a thing) by poking. 5 tr. thrust forward, esp. obtrusively. 6 tr. stir (a fire) with a poker. 7 intr. a (often foll. by about, around) move or act desultorily; potter. b (foll. by about, into) pry; search casually. 8 tr. coarse sl. have sexual intercourse with. 9 tr. (foll. by up) colloq. confine (esp. oneself) in a poky place. --n. 1 the act or an instance of poking. 2 a thrust or nudge. 3 a device fastened on cattle etc. to prevent them breaking through fences. 4 a a projecting brim or front of a woman's bonnet or hat. b (in full poke-bonnet) a bonnet having this. Phrases and idioms: poke fun at ridicule, tease. poke one's nose into colloq. pry or intrude into (esp. a person's affairs). Etymology: ME f. MDu. and MLG poken, of unkn. orig. 2. n. dial. a bag or sack. Phrases and idioms: buy a pig in a poke see PIG. Etymology: ME f. ONF poke, poque = OF poche: cf. POUCH

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Poke Poke, n. [AS. poca, poha, pohha; akin to Icel. poki, OD. poke, and perh. to E. pock; cf. also Gael. poca, and OF. poque. Cf. Pock, Pocket, Pouch.] 1. A bag; a sack; a pocket. ``He drew a dial from his poke.'' --Shak. They wallowed as pigs in a poke. --Chaucer. 2. A long, wide sleeve; -- called also poke sleeve. To boy a pig a poke (that is, in a bag), to buy a thing without knowledge or examination of it. --Camden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Poke Poke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poked; p. pr. & vb. n. Poking.] [Cf. LG. poken to prick, pierce, thrust, pok a dagger, knife, D. pook, G. pocken to beat, also Ir. poc a blow, Gael. puc to push.] 1. To thrust or push against or into with anything pointed; hence, to stir up; to excite; as, to poke a fire. He poked John, and said ``Sleepest thou ?'' --Chaucer. 2. To thrust with the horns; to gore. 3. [From 5th Poke, 3.] To put a poke on; as, to poke an ox. [Colloq. U. S.] To poke fun, to excite fun; to joke; to jest. [Colloq.] To poke fun at, to make a butt of; to ridicule. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Poke Poke, v. i. To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, to poke about. A man must have poked into Latin and Greek. --Prior.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Poke Poke, n. (Bot.) A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca (P. decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries; -- called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Poke Poke, n. 1. The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs. --Ld. Lytton. 2. A lazy person; a dawdler; also, a stupid or uninteresting person. [Slang, U.S.] --Bartlett. 3. A contrivance to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences. It consists of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward. [U.S.] Poke bonnet, a bonnet with a straight, projecting front.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pokes, poking, poked) 1. If you poke someone or something, you quickly push them with your finger or with a sharp object. Lindy poked him in the ribs. = jab VERB: V n • Poke is also a noun. John smiled at them and gave Richard a playful poke. = prod N-COUNT 2. If you poke one thing into another, you push the first thing into the second thing. He poked his finger into the hole. VERB: V n into n 3. If something pokes out of or through another thing, you can see part of it appearing from behind or underneath the other thing. He saw the dog's twitching nose poke out of the basket... His fingers poked through the worn tips of his gloves. VERB: V out of n, V through n 4. If you poke your head through an opening or if it pokes through an opening, you push it through, often so that you can see something more easily. Julie tapped on my door and poked her head in... Raymond's head poked through the doorway. VERB: V n adv/prep, V prep/adv 5. to poke fun at: see fun to poke your nose into something: see nose

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Thrust, push, shove, jog. 2. (Bot.) Garget, pigeon-berry, pogan, cocum, pocan, pocan-bush, poke-weed (Phytolacca decandra). 3. Pocket, pouch, bag, sack. II. v. n. 1. Grope, feel one's way. 2. Mope, shut one's self up, confine one's self, dawdle, trifle.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A blow with the fist: I'll lend you a poke. A poke likewise means a sack: whence, to buy a pig in a poke, i.e. to buy any thing without seeing or properly examining it.

Moby Thesaurus

Roman candle, aid to navigation, alarm, amber light, amble, arouse, assault, awaken, bag, balefire, balloon, bang, bash, bat, beacon, beacon fire, bear, bear upon, bearing, beat the bushes, beat the drum, beating, beetle, bell, bell buoy, belt, biff, billfold, bladder, blinker, blockhead, blow, blue peter, bonk, boost, box, buck, buffet, bull, bulldoze, bump, bump against, bunt, buoy, burrow, busybody, butt, butt against, butt in, caution light, chaff, chop, chump, clap, claudicate, clip, clobber, clout, clump, coldcock, come in contact, crack, cram, crawl, creep, crowd, cuff, cut, cut and thrust, dally, dash, dawdle, deal, deal a blow, deck, delve, diddle, dig, dillydally, dimwit, dint, dip, dogtrot, dolt, doodle, dope, drag, drag along, drag out, drive, drub, drubbing, drumming, dumbbell, elbow, exchange colors, excite, explore, feel, feel of, feint, fetch, fetch a blow, finger, flag, flag down, flail at, flail away at, flare, flash, flick, flog, fob, fog bell, fog signal, fog whistle, foghorn, forage, force, frisk, fusillade, galvanize, give a signal, give the nod, glance, go dead slow, go light, go slow, go through, goad, gong buoy, green light, hail, hail and speak, half-mast, handbag, handle, head, heliograph, high sign, hit, hit a clip, hit at, hobble, hoist a banner, hunt, hurtle, hustle, idiot, idle, ignoramus, inch, inch along, interfere, international alphabet flag, international numeral pennant, intrude, investigate, jab, jam, jeer at, jog, jog-trot, joggle, jolt, jostle, jut, kick, kid, knock, knock cold, knock down, knock out, lag, lash, lash out at, laze, leer, let drive at, let fly at, let have it, lick, limp, linger, loiter, lollygag, look around, look round, look through, lunge at, make a sign, make fun of, manipulate, marker beacon, meddle, mock, money belt, money clip, moron, mosey, mouse, needle, nod, nose, nose around, nudge, overhang, palm, palpate, parachute flare, paste, paw, pelt, piddle, pile drive, pilot flag, plunk, ply, pocket, pocketbook, poke along, poke around, poke at, poke fun at, police whistle, porte-monnaie, pouch, pound, pout, press, pressure, prick, probe, procrastinate, prod, project, protrude, provoke, pry, punch, purse, purse strings, push, put off, quarantine flag, quicken, radio beacon, raise a cry, ram, ram down, rap, rattle, red flag, red light, research, rib, ridicule, rocket, root, rouse, run, run against, sac, sack, sailing aid, salute, saunter, search, search through, semaphore, semaphore flag, semaphore telegraph, send up, shake, shoulder, shove, shuffle along, sign, signal, signal beacon, signal bell, signal fire, signal flag, signal gong, signal gun, signal lamp, signal light, signal mast, signal post, signal rocket, signal shot, signal siren, signal tower, signalize, slam, slog, slug, smack, smash, smell around, smite, snap, snook, snoop, soak, sock, sound an alarm, sound the trumpet, spank, spar buoy, speak, spur, stab, stagger along, stand out, stick, stick out, stimulate, sting, stir, stop light, stress, strike, strike at, strike out at, stroke, stroll, swat, swing, swing at, swing on, swipe, tamp, tamper, tap, tarry, tattoo, taunt, tease, the nod, the wink, thrust, thrust at, thumb, thump, thwack, toddle, toddle along, totter along, touch, traffic light, traffic signal, trail, traipse, twiddle, twit, unfurl a flag, waddle, walk, wallet, wallop, watch fire, wave, wave a flag, wave the hand, whack, wham, whip, white flag, whop, wield, wigwag, wigwag flag, wink, worm, worm along, yellow flag, yerk