ENGLISH
REFERENCE

poaching

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈpoʊtʃɪŋ// UK //pˈəʊtʃɪŋ// poach·ing

n. the illegal act of catching or killing animals, fish, or birds on someone else's land. It can also mean taking people or ideas from another company in an unfair way.

n. the illegal hunting, capturing, or harvesting of wild animals or plants, often in violation of conservation laws or property rights. In a business context, refers to the practice of enticing employees or clients away from a competitor.


SIMPLE

The park rangers are working hard to stop illegal poaching.

CONTEXTUAL

Strict laws were introduced to prevent the poaching of endangered rhinos for their horns.

COMPLEX

While environmentalists focus on the poaching of rare species, corporate leaders are increasingly concerned about the aggressive poaching of top-tier software engineers by rival tech firms.

Synonyms
Usage

Uncountable when referring to the activity in general; can take a prepositional phrase starting with 'of' to specify the target.

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