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Glite Dictionary
🔍 To investigate 🚪 To enter briefly
to poke into

to poke into

1 5.1
To look closely at something by touching or prodding it
  • phrasal verb
  • /poʊk ˈɪntu/
  • Informal
translation icon : indagar en
  • She stood, now opening cupboards slowly, poking an idle finger into the hamburger meat.
  • poked a stick into
  • poked his finger into
  • poking your nose into

Examples

  • "Meanwhile, you can poke into Humphries' files anytime you want to." Randolph cleared the screen with a single, sharp, "Exit."

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The pine cabinets caught their attention immediately, and Tom wandered over to the chipped white sink to stare down the drain and then poke his fingers into it.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "I'm not sure that I want to poke into Humphries' files," he said.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • So I'm kind of just poking into the lashes like really lightly.

  • No wandering off, poking into things that aren't your business, making a nuisance?

    Fiction book (1995)

  • He pokes the steel rod into the water bucket, into the pot, and the pan.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • She poked the broom into the chamber and pushed at Hester with it.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Miss Serenella snipped the thread and poked the needle into her pincushion.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The detective decided to poke into the suspect's background to find out more information.

  • Curious about the strange noises, she began to poke into the dark corners of the attic.

Synonyms

to poke
vsto poke into
251 1.5

Push quickly with a finger, stick, or other small object

examines by careful prodding or investigation rather than a quick jab
to dig into
vsto poke into
  • Informal
70 3.7

To look at something carefully, often by searching under the surface

examines by touching or probing rather than deep searching
to probe
vsto poke into
23 4.6

To examine something with a thin instrument often by touch

examines by touching or light prodding rather than instrument work
to prod
vsto poke into
4 3.7

To poke a person, animal, or object with a stick

examines by deliberate touching to investigate rather than prompt movement

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to overlook
243 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

How Thorough

to delve
61 4.7
to probe
23 4.6
to poke into
  • Informal
1 5.1
to investigate
∞ 2.8
to look into
573 2.8
to peek
119 1.1

Surface Forms

poke into infinitive
poked into past
poked into past participle
poking into present participle
pokes into third person singular

Morphology

poke + into

Combining 'poke' (to prod or pry) with the preposition 'into' readily suggests intruding or looking inside something, so a learner who knows both words will often infer a sense of nosing or prying into a place or matter. However, the specific conversational nuance of meddling briefly/out of curiosity (and its directional metaphorical use) is a metaphorical extension not fully predictable from the parts for all learners, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrasal verb poke into comes from the image of someone using a finger or stick to poke into a dark hole to see what is inside. So, poke into now means to touch or ask about something to 'investigate' it.