ENGLISH
REFERENCE

stoker

n.
C1 Advanced US //ˈstoʊkɝ// UK //stˈəʊkɐ// stok·er

n. a person who feeds fuel into a furnace or boiler to keep it burning. You might see this job in older factories or power plants.

n. a person who feeds fuel into a furnace, boiler, or other combustion chamber to maintain the fire. Often used in industrial or maritime contexts.


SIMPLE

The stoker fed coal into the boiler every hour.

CONTEXTUAL

Before automated systems were common, a team of stokers worked the night shift to keep the factory's massive furnaces running.

COMPLEX

The ship's stoker was responsible for maintaining the intense heat required to power the vessel's steam engines during the long transatlantic voyage.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle Dutch stoker (“stoker”), from Middle Dutch stoken (“to stoke, incite”, literally “to poke, jab, thrust”), ultimately equivalent to stoke + -er. More at stoke. Compare typologically Russian кочега́р (kočegár) (akin to кочерга́ (kočergá, “poker”)).

© 2026 English Reference