poach
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poach¹
- /ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/
Rhymes with -əʊtʃ
Where it comes from
From Middle English pochen (“to poach (eggs)”), from Old French pocher "to put (egg yolks) in pockets" (i.e. in bags formed by the whites), from Old French poche (“pocket”).
verb poaches · poaching · poached
- To cook (something) in simmering or very hot liquid (usually water; sometimes wine, broth, or otherwise). Eldridge closed the despatch-case with a snap and, rising briskly, walked down the corridor to his solitary table in the dining-car. Mulligatawny soup, poached turbot, roast leg of lamb—the usual railway dinner.
- To be cooked in such manner. The white of an egg with spirit of wine, doth bake the egg into clots, as if it began to poach.
noun poaches
- The act of cooking in simmering liquid. Peaches are so perfect they need very little to make them extra special—just a quick poach in basil-scented rosé wine and a few adoring strawberries.
poach²
- /ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/
Rhymes with -əʊtʃ
Where it comes from
From Old French pocher, pochier (“to trample, poach into”). Doublet of poke.
verb poaches · poaching · poached
- To trespass on another's property to take fish or game.
- To take game or fish illegally. A 2016 study using carbon dating of more than 200 tusks from seizures spanning nine countries suggested that illegal ivory originates from elephants poached recently, instead of being pilfered from aging stockpiles kept by various nations.
- To take anything illegally or unfairly. Chelsea's embarrassment was symbolised by Ross Barkley's inexplicable header straight to the feet of Aguero to poach his second and Ilkay Gundogan capped that early blitz with a low drive.
- To intrude; to interfere; to get involved inappropriately, without welcome. to poach in foreign academic disciplines
- To entice (an employee or customer) to switch from a competing company to one's own. What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my teamaker?
- To make soft or muddy by trampling. Cattle coming to drink had punched and poached the river bank into a mess of mud.
- To become soft or muddy by being trampled on. Chalky and clay lands […] chap in summer, and poach in winter.
-
To stab; to pierce; to spear or drive or plunge into something.
They vse alſo to poche them with an instrument somewhat like the Sammon-speare
Similar: jab, run through, chef, chib, ching, chive, enthrill, foin, gore, gride, job, juke
noun poaches
- The act of taking something unfairly, as in tennis doubles where one player returns a shot that their partner was better placed to return.
Translations
Every language
verb to cook in simmering liquid
| Español | escalfar, pochar |
|---|---|
| Português | escalfar |
| Français | pocher |
| Deutsch | pochieren |
| עברית | שלק shalák |
verb to be cooked in simmering liquid
| Español | pocharse, escalfarse |
|---|
verb to take game or fish illegally
| Español | recolectar furtivamente, talar furtivamente, pescar furtivamente, cazar furtivamente, (poaching) practicar furtivismo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 密猟する mitsuryō-suru, 密漁する mitsuryō-suru |
| 中文 | 盜獵 /盗猎 dàoliè |
| Português | caçar/pescar furtivamente |
| Français | braconner |
| Deutsch | wildern |
| Italiano | cacciare di frodo, pescare di frodo |
| Русский | занима́ться браконье́рством zanimátʹsja brakonʹjérstvom |
verb to take illegally or unfairly
| Español | quitar furtivamente, hurtar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 横取りする yokodori-suru |
| Deutsch | klauen, stehlen |
verb to entice an employee or customer to switch
| Español | cazar cabeza, sonsacar |
|---|---|
| Français | débaucher, détourner |
| Deutsch | abwerben |
| Italiano | assumere |
| Русский | перема́нивать peremánivatʹ, перемани́ть peremanítʹ |
Talk about this word "poach." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/poach. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. poach. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/poach "poach." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/poach.Cite this
@misc{poach_2026,
title = {poach},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/poach},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
