Stoke Meaning
/stəʊk/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo poke, pierce, thrust.
nounAn act of poking, piercing, thrusting
Sentence Examples
Don't stoke the fire of discord!
Suddenly smelling smoke could be a sign of stoke.
CEFR Practice Quiz
To keep the campfire blazing, he needed to ____ it with more wood.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He used a long metal poker to ____ the fire and make sure it kept burning brightly all night long.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Ne short swerd for to stoke with point bityng / No man ne drawe ne bere it by his syde / Ne no man shal un to his felawe ryde / But o cours with a sharp ygrounde spere"
— 1387–1400, [Geoffrey] Chaucer, “The Knẏghtes Tale”, in The Tales of Caunt́bury (Hengwrt Chaucer; Peniarth Manuscript 392D), Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: National Library of Wales, published [c. 1400–1410], →OCLC, folio 34, recto, lines 1688–1691:
"Stoking the star maker machinery behind the popular song"
— 1974, Joni Mitchell, Free Man in Paris:
"To stoke motivation and ambition, focus instead on the road ahead."
— 2011, Roy F. Baumeister, John Tierney, Willpower, →ISBN, page 120:
"But, backed by a partying crowd in cowboy hats and fine voice, it was a display that only stoked belief that the Red Roses can make good on their status as tournament favourites after losing in five of the past six finals."
— 2025 August 22, Mike Henson, “England open World Cup with 11-try win over USA”, in BBC Sport:
"The main line of the L.N.W.R. passed to the west of the Potteries, and it is recorded that in August, 1846, two trains were run from Whitmore (the nearest station to Stoke) to Liverpool for the benefit of excursionists."
— 1946 November and December, “Notes and News: A North Staffordshire Railway Centenary”, in Railway Magazine, page 389:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To keep the campfire blazing, he needed to ____ it with more wood.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He used a long metal poker to ____ the fire and make sure it kept burning brightly all night long.