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

Despite stoking the fears of cannabis advocates and industry folks, however, the policy shift didn’t impede state-level marijuana reform. —Mary Jane Gibson, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2024

The rally has also been stoked by a series of the president-elect's appointments, with Paul Atkins being picked to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission on the same day that the cryptocurrency reached its benchmark number. —Bill Hardekopf, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

This new brand identity also stoked controversy when it was revealed in November. —Jack Guy, CNN, 3 Dec. 2024

Few have stoked the flames of the gender war quite like President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. —Allie Volpe, Vox, 2 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