poke

1
[ pohk ]
/ poʊk /

verb (used with object), poked, pok·ing.

verb (used without object), poked, pok·ing.

noun

a thrust or push.
Informal. a slow or dawdling person; slowpoke.

Idioms for poke

    poke fun at, to ridicule or mock, especially covertly or slyly: In her novel, she pokes fun at her ex-husband.
    poke one's nose into, Informal. to meddle in; pry into: We felt as if half the people in town were poking their noses into our lives.

Origin of poke

1
1300–50; Middle English < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German poken to thrust. See poach1

OTHER WORDS FROM poke

pok·a·ble, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for poke one's nose into (1 of 4)

poke 1
/ (pəʊk) /

verb

noun

Word Origin for poke

C14: from Low German and Middle Dutch poken to thrust, prod, strike

British Dictionary definitions for poke one's nose into (2 of 4)

poke 2
/ (pəʊk) /

noun

dialect a pocket or bag
a pig in a poke See pig (def. 9)

Word Origin for poke

C13: from Old Northern French poque, of Germanic origin; related to Old English pocca bag, Old Norse poki pouch, Middle Dutch poke bag; compare poach ²

British Dictionary definitions for poke one's nose into (3 of 4)

poke 3
/ (pəʊk) /

noun

Also called: poke bonnet a woman's bonnet with a brim that projects at the front, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries
the brim itself

Word Origin for poke

C18: from poke 1 (in the sense: to thrust out, project)

British Dictionary definitions for poke one's nose into (4 of 4)

poke 4
/ (pəʊk) /

noun

short for pokeweed

Idioms and Phrases with poke one's nose into (1 of 2)

poke one's nose into

Pry into or meddle in another's affairs, as in I told her to stop poking her nose into our business. This usage replaced the earlier thrust one's nose into in the mid-1800s.

Idioms and Phrases with poke one's nose into (2 of 2)

poke