poached; poaching; poaches
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached; poaching; poaches
1
: to encroach upon especially for the purpose of taking something
2
: to trespass for the purpose of stealing game
also
: to take game or fish illegally
1
: to trespass on
a field poached too frequently by the amateur—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)2
a
: to take (game or fish) by illegal methods
b
: to appropriate (something) as one's own
c
: to attract (someone, such as an employee or customer) away from a competitor
Examples of poach in a Sentence
Verb (1)
poaching fish in a stock flavored with white wine
Recent Examples on the Web
Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
Desserts are wonderful old favorites, including plump profiteroles with a deep dark chocolate; succulent poached poire belle Hélène; and a hot apple tart that was crisp and sweet and had the real taste of good apples.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Deforestation, climate change, increasingly frequent wildfires, and pet trade poaching all threaten poison dart frogs.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 14 May 2025
He was convicted of running an operation poaching rhinos in South Africa's huge Kruger National Park — which borders Mozambique.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The first is growing competition from AT&T, T-Mobile and other wireless providers, which are poaching customers with their own broadband services and packaging them with wireless plans.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
Desserts are wonderful old favorites, including plump profiteroles with a deep dark chocolate; succulent poached poire belle Hélène; and a hot apple tart that was crisp and sweet and had the real taste of good apples.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Deforestation, climate change, increasingly frequent wildfires, and pet trade poaching all threaten poison dart frogs.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 14 May 2025
He was convicted of running an operation poaching rhinos in South Africa's huge Kruger National Park — which borders Mozambique.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
Cite this Entry
“Poach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poach. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poach
1 of 2 verb
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached eggs
poach
2 of 2 verb
: to hunt or fish unlawfully
poacher
noun
Etymology
Verb
Middle English pochen "to boil an egg without its shell so that the white covers the yolk like a bag," from early French pocher (same meaning), from earlier pochier, literally, "to put into a bag," from poche "bag, pocket"
Verb
from early French pocher "to hunt or fish unlawfully"
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