Poke
Meaning of Poke
To push with a finger or stick; to pry.
ما معنى كلمة Poke بالعربي؟
يدفع بلطف
👉🔍 يدفع بلطف بالإصبع أو عصا؛ ينخز أو يُحرك شيئاً للفت الانتباه؛ يُثير الفضول أو يستكشف بحذر وتأني 👉💫
قصة GL: النخزات اللطيفة تُوقظ العقل النائم - مثل النخزة اللطيفة التي تُوقظ النائم، تُصمم تمارين التعلم الجيني لتُنبه المناطق النائمة في الدماغ وتُحفزها على العمل، فالتحفيز اللطيف المُستمر يُوقظ القدرات الكامنة 🧠
Poke in a sentence
Participants poke a touchscreen in the reaction test.
A poke of humour lightened the pitch.
To poke into private records is an offence.
Pupils poke the soil to plant seeds.
Origin of Poke
From Middle Dutch poken, perhaps imitative.
In the Genetic Learning (GL) context
In Genetic Learning work led by Naif Talal Al-Essa, poke appears in poke fun at. GL feedback is gentle and never pokes fun.
Poke audio micro-course (transcript)
Podcast 1 — Introduction & meaning
Narrator: Today's word is "Poke" — verb, pronounced /pəʊk/, with the stress on "poke".
Narrator: To poke is to push a finger or pointed object sharply into something.
Narrator: In plain English, you poke something when you jab at it to get attention or test it.
Narrator: It comes from the Middle English poken, of uncertain origin, but probably from a Low German source meaning to thrust.
Narrator: "Poking the fire" describes stirring embers with a stick to keep them burning.
Narrator: It differs from prod because a poke is a quick sharp jab, whereas a prod often implies urging someone gently into action.
Narrator: "Poking fun at someone" is an idiom meaning to tease them in a playful way.
Narrator: Cooking, child care, veterinary work and social media all rely on the word poke.
Narrator: So remember: to poke is to jab sharply, and it also means to tease or stir into action.
Read podcasts 2 and 3
Podcast 2 — In conversation
Speaker A: My gran told me not to poke the fire. Why is that a verb for fire?
Speaker B: It's an old household word! POKE comes from the Middle English poken, meaning to thrust, and poking the fire means jabbing the embers to keep it alight.
Speaker A: And poking fun at someone is teasing?
Speaker B: Exactly — same word, gentler, playful sense!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "She poked him in the ribs to wake him"; "he poked the embers back to life"; "stop poking fun at my accent" — a nudge, the fire, and teasing.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Do not use poke for a gentle tap, because poke always has a sharp jab in it; and the past tense is poked, with no double k.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: "Prod" the urging cousin, "jab" the sharper twin, "nudge" the gentle alternative. The poke keeps its quick, sharp charm!
Podcast 3 — Prompt engineering
Speaker B: Let's use "poke" in AI prompts — useful for notification timing tools and engagement bots.
Speaker A: So a prompt could ask a bot to poke a user gently?
Speaker B: Right. For a reminder app, you'd write:
Prompt: Draft a friendly message that pokes a user who has not opened the app for three days, without sounding pushy.
Speaker A: How about a cooking assistant?
Speaker B: Ask the model for clear steps:
Prompt: Explain in three sentences why poking a baking cake with a skewer tests whether it is cooked through.
Speaker A: Could it help with a safety guide?
Speaker B: Yes, you can warn users:
Prompt: Write a short warning for a workshop poster explaining why poking a machine with a hand is dangerous.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a social media tool, try this:
Prompt: Suggest three playful ways to poke fun at a friend's football team in a message, without causing offence.
Frequently asked questions about Poke
What does Poke mean?
To push with a finger or stick; to pry.
ما معنى كلمة Poke بالعربي؟
يدفع بلطف — 👉🔍 يدفع بلطف بالإصبع أو عصا؛ ينخز أو يُحرك شيئاً للفت الانتباه؛ يُثير الفضول أو يستكشف بحذر وتأني 👉💫
How do you pronounce Poke?
Poke is pronounced /pəʊk/ and is used as a verb / noun.
How is Poke used in a sentence?
Participants poke a touchscreen in the reaction test.
What are synonyms of Poke?
prod, jab, nudge, dig, thrust, stick.