poke
4
2.5
- noun
- /poʊk/
:
toque
- She gives him an affectionate poke in the stomach as she passes by and disappears upstairs.
- give someone a poke
- poke with a finger
- feel a poke
Examples
-
"Come on," she said, giving me a poke between the shoulder blades.
Fiction book (2002) -
"Tell her," Grandma said to my mother, giving her a poke in the side.
Fiction book (2000) -
It's just a little poke with a stick, see what happens.
-
Go on, give her a little poke.
-
Get a hold of something solid, and give the top a little poke.
-
Nancy seated herself beside Dan and gave him a sharp poke in the ribs.
Fiction book (1998) -
Grandma gave me a gentle poke in the ribs to get my attention.
-
She felt a quick poke in her side as her friend tried to make her laugh.
-
With a sharp poke of the stick, he tested the depth of the water.
Synonyms
66
1.0
A light touch or sound from a gentle hit
23
3.5
A small push with an elbow or hand to get someone's attention
16
3.0
A quick sharp poke with a finger, hand, or object
12
4.8
A small mark made on a surface by a hit or push
3
2.7
A quick, sharp touch with a finger or small object to get attention
Idioms
- Informal
3
8.4
To do something on purpose to make an angry or dangerous person react
- Informal
1
9.9
To buy something without checking it first and risk being cheated
- Informal
A joking way to say something is very unpleasant or painful
Compounds
- US
A poisonous plant with large leaves and greenish yellow flower clusters that people use in traditional medicine
- Specialized
A quick push with a hockey stick that knocks the puck away from an opponent
A milkweed plant from eastern North America with white and green flowers that grows in shady woods
How Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
Poke as a noun for a quick push comes from the same idea as the verb — a brief, sharp prod — so a 'poke' is simply that short jab that gets your attention.