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

And perhaps nothing stoked more conversation than the issue of transgender girls and women competing in girls and women’s sports. —Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024

The drones straying into NATO territory have not been deemed intentional attacks, but the incidents stoke the fire of tensions between the alliance and Moscow, at its worst point in decades. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

The lockout would severely hamper operations at West Coast ports including Vancouver and Prince Rupert, stoking the flame already started by the current indefinite strike at two container terminals at the Port of Montreal. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2024

Enemies that know how to stoke discord and seek to undermine the outcome of the U.S. election outcome top the list. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 4 Nov. 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