stoke

verb

ˈstōk 

stoked; stoking

transitive verb

1

: to poke or stir up (a fire, flames, etc.) : supply with fuel

2

: to feed abundantly

3

: to increase the activity, intensity, or amount of

limiting the number of cars available … will help stoke demand for the car

—Keith Naughton

intransitive verb

: to stir up or tend a fire (as in a furnace) : supply a furnace with fuel

Synonyms

• accelerate
• add (to)
• aggrandize
• amplify
• augment
• boost
• build up
• compound
• enlarge
• escalate
• expand
• extend
• hype
• increase
• multiply
• pump up
• raise
• supersize
• swell
• up

Examples of stoke in a Sentence

The engineer stoked the coals.

The new ad campaign has helped to stoke sales.

Poor revenue figures have stoked concerns about possible layoffs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Most often, they’re stoked to see Judy, Cardellini’s homicidal but loveable character from showrunner Liz Feldman’s black comedy Dead to Me, which ran for three seasons on Netflix from 2019 to 2022. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Dec. 2024

Technology is stoking cycles of violence in schools across the United States. —Claire Fahy, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2024

Fast friendships made and rivalries stoked among cabins during competitions. —Leslie Kelly, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

The mayor stoked anger among fellow Democrats during the presidential campaign with comments that were seen as being generous to the Republican nominee, including saying Trump is not a fascist. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Dutch stoken; akin to Middle Dutch stuken to push

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

stoke

verb

ˈstōk 

stoked; stoking

1

: to stir up or tend (as a fire)

2

: to supply (as a furnace) with fuel

3

: to feed plentifully

stoker noun

Medical Definition

stoke

noun

ˈstōk 

: the cgs unit of kinematic viscosity being that of a fluid which has a viscosity of one poise and a density of one gram per cubic centimeter