POKES Synonyms: 352 Similar and Opposite Words

pokes 1 of 3

noun (1)

plural of poke

as in jabs

a quick thrust please stop giving the cat pokes while it's trying to sleep

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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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pokes

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of poke, chiefly Southern & Midland

as in pouches

a container made of a flexible material (as paper or plastic) the old warning against buying a pig in a poke

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pokes

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of poke

as in protrudes

to extend outward beyond a usual point saw his head poking through the window

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as in interferes

to interest oneself in what is not one's concern told him to stop poking into other people's business

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as in drags

to move or act slowly just poked around all morning and didn't accomplish much

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as in crawls

to move slowly they were just poking along home

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pokes

Noun

In the hands of the right provider, filler can enhance and even transform your face with just a few strategic pokes. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 11 Nov. 2025 A lot of times, these hot-button issues that are pressed, those little pokes, are more nuanced than they’re portrayed. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 19 Jan. 2026 If your everyday bra is worn out, replace it with this scalloped bra that provides padded support — without uncomfortable underwire that digs and pokes. — Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026 There weren’t any needles, pokes, or prods involved, just a simple applicator patch that stuck to the side of my stomach to help the machine navigate where to output the energy. — Essence, 24 Sep. 2025 Pepsi has for decades taken pokes at rival Coke in an endless array of commercials, but this time, the youth-skewing cola company really means business. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026 Then in the second, Mattias Samuelsson was allowed to take multiple pokes at Jeremy Swayman before Geekie clobbered him. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 Privacy may struggle within a buzzing neighborhood as the Sun in your contemplative 12th house pokes indulgent Jupiter in your 3rd House of Messages. — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026 Earlier, authorities blocked access to excerpts of Goktas' show, including pokes at Erdogan, that were uploaded onto social media. — ABC News, 2 July 2026

Verb

The second is a vent which pokes out above your clothes, to move warm air away from you. — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 My daughter, Brigid, the oldest of the girls, pokes her head out of the kitchen. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026 Instead, the robot simply pokes through it. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Apr. 2026 Cloudy and rainy conditions prevail throughout the morning, then in the afternoon the sun pokes through with calm winds. — Kendrick Calfee june 16, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026 Perched on a finger of land that pokes into Lebanon, Metula is usually crowded with tourists this time of year. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 23 June 2026 Kym is the family fuckup and a guilty party to its biggest tragedy but also constantly pokes the bear as its selfish verbal assassin. — Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026 The self-aware series pokes fun at the teenage superhero subgenre, toying with the way superpowers interfere with daily life. — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2026 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently isn’t amused by a new board game that pokes fun at the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s reputation for garnering foul calls at the hint of contact by an opposing player. — Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pokes

Noun

And a third key was for Gaethje to throw jabs and get Topuria’s weight on his back foot, so Gaethje could find an opening with hooks over Topuria’s front shoulder.

— Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 6 July 2026
No women aged 20-24 died from cervical cancer between 2020 and 2024; without the jabs, 23 deaths would have been expected, says the report in The Lancet.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 July 2026

Definition of jabs

Noun

Hers is a voice that ought to have a lifetime’s staying power, bolstered by a lyrical and musical sensibility that provide everything her instrument needs to deliver a happy succession of knockout blows.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 3 July 2026
Despite the blows to Eurovision’s finances and viewership from the boycott, the contest is eyeing expansion, with a spinoff Eurovision Song Contest Asia due to take place in Bangkok in November.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026

Definition of blows

Noun

Hurling insults and a general dismissiveness is in, or at least tolerated.

— Steve Buckley, New York Times, 2 July 2026
But back in February when the court ruled against him on tariffs, the president held an angry White House press conference, calling the conservative justices who sided against him disloyal among other insults.

— Tamara Keith, NPR, 1 July 2026

Definition of insults

Verb

Here’s when to watch and how to catch the best views before bright moonlight interferes.

— Julia Gomez, USA Today, 1 July 2026
If Damascus interferes in Lebanon, sectarian violence could follow, as the Syrian military presence would likely be interpreted as direct opposition to Hezbollah’s Shiite fighters.

— Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 18 June 2026

Definition of interferes

Verb

Stanford research on more than 100,000 developers found that teams often feel quicker with AI early on, while at the same time racking up technical debt that drags on them later.

— Neo Lee, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Frieson then appears, drags her by the arm, and closes the door.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 June 2026

Definition of drags

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“Pokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pokes. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of pokes

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb

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