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View synonyms for

poach

1

[ pohch ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to cook (eggs, fish, fruits, etc.) in a hot liquid that is kept just below the boiling point.


poach

2

[ pohch ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to trespass on (private property), especially in order to hunt or fish.
  2. to steal (game or fish) from another's property.
  3. to take without permission and use as one's own:

    to poach ideas;

    a staff poached from other companies.

  4. to break or tear up by trampling.
  5. to mix with water and reduce to a uniform consistency, as clay.

verb (used without object)

  1. to trespass, especially on another's game preserve, in order to steal animals or to hunt.
  2. to take game or fish illegally.
  3. (of land) to become broken up or slushy by being trampled.
  4. (in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) to play a ball hit into the territory of one's partner that is properly the partner's ball to play.
  5. Informal. to cheat in a game or contest.

poach

1

/ əʊʃ /

verb

  1. to catch (game, fish, etc) illegally by trespassing on private property
  2. to encroach on or usurp (another person's rights, duties, etc) or steal (an idea, employee, etc)
  3. tennis badminton to take or play (shots that should belong to one's partner)
  4. to break up (land) into wet muddy patches, as by riding over it, or (of land) to become broken up in this way
  5. intr (of the feet, shoes, etc) to sink into heavy wet ground
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

poach

2

/ əʊʃ /

verb

  1. to simmer (eggs, fish, etc) very gently in water, milk, stock, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • Dza· adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of poach1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun poche “poached eggs (in sauce),” from Old French dzé, past participle of pochier “to bag (the yolk inside the white),” derivative of poche “bag, pocket,” from Middle Dutch poke poke 2

Origin of poach2

First recorded in 1520–30; of uncertain origin; perhaps from earlier meaning “to shove, thrust,” from Middle French pocher “to gouge,” from Germanic; akin to poke 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of poach1

C17: from Old French pocher, of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch poken to prod; see poke 1

Origin of poach2

C15: from Old French pochier to enclose in a bag (as the yolks are enclosed by the whites); compare poke ²
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Swirl into scrambled eggs or top poached eggs on toast.

From

Zoo geneticists will work with the eight new iguanas to determine whether they were poached directly from the wild or bred illegally, and which island they may have originally come from.

From

Dolphins continue to be poached for their flesh and blubber, from which oil is extracted to use as fishing bait.

From

And he also explores other topics like rhino poaching in South Africa and illegal gold mining in Colombia.

From

It has been a career launching point for many prominent legal figures, with major law firms frequently poaching the top talent.

From

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