1
2
as in blows
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
you'd better shut up if you don't want a poke on the nose
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in insults
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the constantly bickering husband and wife seem unable to let five minutes pass without an exchange of gratuitous pokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pouches
a container made of a flexible material (as paper or plastic)
the old warning against buying a pig in a poke
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in protrudes
to extend outward beyond a usual point
saw his head poking through the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in interferes
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
told him to stop poking into other people's business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in crawls
to move or act slowly
just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pokes
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Leeron Walter, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Like his contemporaries, Meyers often pokes fun at the ongoing actions of the president and his administration on Late Night.
—Emlyn Travis Updated, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Wilfried Zaha, one of Palace’s two onrushing forwards, chooses to run beyond the Fulham defence, hoping team-mate Jordan Ayew gets there before Ream and pokes a pass through to him.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Also on the bill are Charles McBee and Shane Anthony, Black comics from the Midwest whose work pokes fun at American racial politics.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Zellweger pokes fun at online conspiracy theories, a sea of hate on social media, and all-round terrible team morale among us humans at the moment.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2025
The satirical animation, which often pokes fun at pop culture and political events, was previously scheduled to move its library of episodes to Paramount+ under a new multiyear licensing arrangement.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
The result is a richly observational patchwork that pokes fun at several stereotypes, from the man-bun-wearing tech mogul to tourist-scamming wizards.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025
The series pokes fun at musical tropes and also has hilarious songs of its own.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Noun
The non-extinction of Zaglossus attenboroughi, in the Cyclops Mountains, first suspected in 2007 on evidence of nose pokes, was confirmed.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
The brand’s giant green owl mascot dances badly, makes obscure pop culture references and pokes fun at the company’s push notifications.
—Leeron Walter, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Like his contemporaries, Meyers often pokes fun at the ongoing actions of the president and his administration on Late Night.
—Emlyn Travis Updated, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Wilfried Zaha, one of Palace’s two onrushing forwards, chooses to run beyond the Fulham defence, hoping team-mate Jordan Ayew gets there before Ream and pokes a pass through to him.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Also on the bill are Charles McBee and Shane Anthony, Black comics from the Midwest whose work pokes fun at American racial politics.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Zellweger pokes fun at online conspiracy theories, a sea of hate on social media, and all-round terrible team morale among us humans at the moment.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2025
The satirical animation, which often pokes fun at pop culture and political events, was previously scheduled to move its library of episodes to Paramount+ under a new multiyear licensing arrangement.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
The result is a richly observational patchwork that pokes fun at several stereotypes, from the man-bun-wearing tech mogul to tourist-scamming wizards.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025
The series pokes fun at musical tropes and also has hilarious songs of its own.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pokes
Verb
-
Bárbara, who can see the guests a few feet away, maintains a neutral expression on her face as Solène demands to be spoken to nicely, at which point Jess interferes and tells them to save it for later.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Elsewhere, Morgan interferes when Elliot admits to not being invited to his classmate’s party.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
In the footage, the dog hilariously crawls under the blanket, which had slipped down the side of his crate, and ends up pulling it completely off.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Dead Bug Ab-cross crawls support overall ab strength.—
Health Editorial Team,
Health,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Maybe his rehabilitation drags.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The North Carolina General Assembly returned Tuesday for the first time since last month, as a budget stalemate between the House and Senate drags on.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Blur left audiences stunned and speechless, a hybrid of theater and XR that lingers as memory more than story.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The tension lingers throughout the meal, leaving the family divided.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Unlike a broken leg or a sudden illness, hearing loss often creeps in quietly.—
Joseph Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Bias also creeps into the data used to train these algorithms, for example when the composition of teams that guide the development of such facial recognition software lack diversity.—
Robert Pearlman,
ArsTechnica,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
John Malkovich shows up for a tangent that is meant to be expositional, but really only needlessly delays what’s coming.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Others say that approach risks keeping critical documents under wraps and delays a fuller accounting.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Because global air travel shuffles millions of people around the world daily, an outbreak of a very contagious disease anywhere can become a threat everywhere.—
Amy E. Stambach,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
-
With Noni Madueke doubled up on out wide, Zubimendi shuffles backwards to receive the pass, and then fires a pass into Martin Odegaard, breaking the first two lines of the opposition’s 4-4-2 defensive block.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Into this space strolls Hai (Piseth Chhun).—
Blake Simons,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Regina King strolls into Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks on the hunt for classic hors d’oeuvres recipes.—
Elizabeth Wellington,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pokes. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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