• (British) enPR: pōk, IPA: /pəʊk/
• (America) enPR: pōk, IPA: /poʊk/

From Middle English poken, perhaps from Middle Dutch poken or Middle Low German poken, both from Proto-West Germanic *pukōn or similar, which is itself of uncertain origin, but may be from an imitative Proto-Germanic - root *puk-.

poke (pokes, present participle poking; simple past and past participle poked)

1. To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick. [from later 14th c.]
2. To stir up a fire to remove ash or promote burning.
3. (figuratively) To rummage; to feel or grope around. [from early 19th c.]

   Synonyms: fumble, glaum, root, Thesaurus:feel around

   I poked about in the rubble, trying to find my lost keys.

4. (transitive, computing, dated) To modify the value stored in (a memory address).

   Coordinate term: peek

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

   to poke an ox

6. (transitive) To thrust at with the horns; to gore.
7. (transitive, informal, social media) To notify (another user) of activity on social media or an instant messenger.
8. (transitive) To thrust (something) in a particular direction such as the tongue.
9. (transitive, slang, vulgar) To penetrate in sexual intercourse.

   Synonyms: drill, nail, pound, Thesaurus:copulate with

   • 1996 November 25, Washington Times quoted in The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs:

     Maj. Cloutier commented to Lt. Clemm, "You know what they say about a girl who smokes: If she smokes, she pokes."

• French: piquer
• German: stochern, anstupsen, anstupsen
• Italian: ficcare, pungolare, spronare
• Portuguese: cutucar
• Russian: ты́кать
• Spanish: hurgar

• French: attiser
• German: schüren
• Italian: attizzare
• Portuguese: atiçar
• Russian: шурова́ть
• Spanish: atizar

• German: poken (rare)

poke (plural pokes)

1. A prod, jab, or thrust.
2. (US, slang) A lazy person; a dawdler.
3. (US, slang) A stupid or uninteresting person.
4. An old, worn-out horse.
5. (US) A device to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences, consisting of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward.
6. (computing, dated) The storage of a value in a memory address, typically to modify the behaviour of a program or to cheat at a video game.
7. (informal, social media) A notification sent to get another user's attention on social media or an instant messenger.
8. A poke bonnet.
9. (baseball, slang) A hit, especially an extra base hit.

From Middle English poke, from Anglo-Norman poke (whence pocket), from Frankish *pokō.

poke (plural pokes)

1. (Appalachia) A sack or bag. [from early 13th c.]
   • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene vii]:

     And then he drew a dial from his poke,
     And, looking on it with lack-lustre eye,
     Says very wisely, ‘It is ten o'clock […] ’

   • 1605, William Camden, Remaines Concerning Brittaine, 1629 edition ↗, Proverbes, page 276:

     When the Pig is proffered, hold vp the poke.

   • 1627, Michael Drayton, Minor Poems of Michael Drayton, 1907 edition ↗, poem Nimphidia:

     And suddainly vntyes the Poke,
     Which out of it sent such a smoke,
     As ready was them all to choke,
     So greeuous was the pother […]

   • 1814, September 4, The Examiner, volume 13 ↗, number 349, article French Fashions, page 573:

     … and as to shape, a nightmare has as much. Under the poke and the muff-box, the face sometimes entirely disappears …

   • 1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Tea Don’t Do You that Way”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 2 (1923–1928: Chicago, Chicago), page 91 ↗:

     In the summertime they'd reach out and snatch your straw hat right off your head, and if you were fool enough to go after it your poke was bound to be lighter when you came out.

   • 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin, published 2009, page 138:

     She did not eat blood-oranges. Her maw gived her one in a poke and she was going to throw it in the bin, Oh it is all black.

2. A long, wide sleeve.

   Synonyms: poke sleeve

3. (Scotland, Northern Ireland) An ice cream cone or a bag of chips

• German: Sack

poke (uncountable)

1. (dialectal) Pokeweed, and its berries.

• see the list at pokeweed

Borrowed from Hawaiian poke.

• IPA: /ˈpoʊkeɪ/, /ˈpoʊki/

poke (uncountable)

1. (Hawaii) Slices or cubes of raw fish or other raw seafood, mixed with sesame oil, seaweed, sea salt, herbs, spices, or other flavorful ingredients.

1. Surname.