I. poke 1 /pəʊk $ poʊk/ BrE AmE verb
1 . WITH A FINGER/STICK ETC [intransitive and transitive] to quickly push your finger or some other pointed object into something or someone
poke somebody/something with something
Andy poked the fish with his finger to see if it was still alive.
poke somebody in the eye/arm/ribs etc
Be careful with that umbrella or you’ll poke someone in the eye.
poke at
He was poking at the dust with a stick, making little patterns.
2 . THROUGH A SPACE/HOLE [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to move or push something through a space or opening
poke something in/into/through something
He poked a hand into one of his pockets.
One of the nurses poked her head around the door.
3 . BE SEEN [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if something is poking through or out of something else, you can see part of it but not all of it
poke out
Ella looked at the tiny face poking out of the blanket.
poke through
Weeds had started poking through the cracks in the patio.
4 . poke a hole to make a hole or hollow area in something by pushing something pointed into or through it
poke a hole into/in/through
Poke a hole in the dough, and then form it into a rounded shape.
5 . poke holes in something to find mistakes or problems in a plan or in what someone has said:
Defense attorneys tried to poke holes in Rodger’s story.
6 . poke fun at somebody to make fun of someone in an unkind way:
Some of the kids were poking fun at Judy because of the way she was dressed.
7 . poke your nose into something informal to take an interest or get involved in someone else’s private affairs, in a way that annoys them:
I’m sick of your mother poking her nose into our marriage.
8 . poke the fire to move coal or wood in a fire with a stick to make it burn better
9 . ON THE INTERNET [transitive] to show someone on a ↑ social networking site that you want to communicate with them
10 . SEX [transitive] spoken not polite to have sex with a woman
poke along phrasal verb American English informal
to move very slowly:
He kept the car in the slow lane, poking along at about 40 miles an hour.
poke around ( also poke about British English ) phrasal verb informal
1 . to look for something, especially by moving a lot of things around
poke around in
James began poking about in the cupboard, looking for the sugar.
2 . to try to find out information about other people’s private lives, business etc, in a way that annoys them
poke around in
Stop poking around in my business!
3 . poke around (something) to spend time in shops, markets etc looking at nothing in particular SYN browse :
I spent Sunday afternoon poking around an old bookshop.
poke into something phrasal verb informal
to try to find out information about other people’s private lives, business etc, in a way that annoys them
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ push to make something or someone move by pressing them with your hands, arms etc:
Push the door, don’t pull it.
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She pushed him away and walked out.
▪ shove to push someone or something in a rough or careless way:
People were shoving to get to the front of the queue.
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Tom shoved his suitcase under the bed.
▪ stuff informal to push something quickly and carelessly into a small space:
She stuffed a few clothes into a bag and left.
▪ poke to push someone or something with your finger or something sharp:
I poked the snake with a stick but it was dead.
▪ nudge to push someone beside you gently with your elbow to get their attention:
Toby nudged me and pointed out of the window.
▪ roll to push something round or something on wheels so that it moves forward:
They rolled the logs down the hill.
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The car still didn’t start so we tried to roll it off the road.
▪ wheel to push something with wheels, for example a bicycle or a ↑ trolley , so that it moves forward, while guiding it with your hands:
Rob wheeled his bike round the back of the house.
II. poke 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . give somebody/something a poke to quickly push your fingers, a stick etc into something or someone:
Vanessa gave me a playful poke in the ribs.
2 . American English informal a criticism of someone or something:
Bennett took a poke at the President’s refusal to sign the bill.
3 . the act of showing someone on a ↑ social networking site that you want to communicate with them