ENGLISH
REFERENCE

stoke

v.
US //ˈstoʊk// UK //stˈəʊk// stoke
  1. 1 to feed a fire (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to add coal or wood to a fire or furnace so that it stays hot.

    to feed or stir up a fire or furnace by adding fuel. Transitive when referring to the fire itself; intransitive when referring to the act of working as a stoker.

    Example

    The worker had to stoke the furnace every hour to keep the factory warm.

    Example

    Throughout the night, the engineer continued to stoke the boiler, ensuring the steam pressure remained high enough for the ship to maintain its speed.
  2. 2 to encourage an emotion (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    to make a feeling, like anger or excitement, much stronger.

    to incite or encourage a specific behaviour or emotion, often in a public or political context.

    Example

    The politician's speech was designed to stoke fears about the economy.

    Example

    The controversial article served only to stoke the fires of public resentment, leading to widespread protests across the capital.
  3. 3 to poke or thrust (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic

    to poke or push something sharply.

    to poke, pierce, or thrust. This sense is largely restricted to historical contexts or specific dialects.

    Example

    The knight used his spear to stoke at the shield of his opponent.

    Example

    In the ancient manuscript, the author describes how the hunters would stoke the beast with sharpened poles to drive it toward the trap.
Etymology 1

From Middle English stoken, from Middle Dutch stoken (“to poke, thrust”) or Middle Low German stoken (“to poke, thrust”), from Old Dutch stokon or Old Saxon stokon, both from Proto-West Germanic stokōn, from Proto-Germanic stukōną (“to be stiff, push”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewg- (“to push, beat”). Cognate with Middle High German stoken (“to pierce, jab”), Norwegian Nynorsk stauka (“to push, thrust”). Alternative etymology derives the Middle English word from Old French estoquer, estochier (“to thrust, strike”), from the same Germanic source. More at stock.

Etymology 2

From a back-formation of stoker, apparently from Dutch stoker, from stoken (“to kindle a fire, incite, instigate”), from Middle Dutch stoken (“to poke, thrust”), from stock (“stick, stock”), see: tandenstoker. Ultimately the same word as above.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026