poached; poaching; poaches
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached; poaching; poaches
1
: to encroach upon especially for the purpose of taking something
2
: to trespass for the purpose of stealing game
also
: to take game or fish illegally
1
: to trespass on
a field poached too frequently by the amateur—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)2
a
: to take (game or fish) by illegal methods
b
: to appropriate (something) as one's own
c
: to attract (someone, such as an employee or customer) away from a competitor
Examples of poach in a Sentence
Verb (1)
poaching fish in a stock flavored with white wine
Recent Examples on the Web
Rob Wile, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2025
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule’s concerns about players being poached and Texas’ and USC’s decisions recently to cancel their spring games for different reasons have sparked discussion about the value of spring games and what role spring practice still has.
—Sam Khan Jr., The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
President Donald Trump has poached former Rep. Mike Waltz to be his national security advisor and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to be his U.N. ambassador, which makes the majority even slimmer.
—Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Feb. 2025
Hot Sauce Pictures, which was launched last year by Salisbury Poisonings pair Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, has poached drama commissioner Helen Ziegler from ITV as its first major hire.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
In August, Starbucks poached longtime Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol to head the coffee giant.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2025
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule’s concerns about players being poached and Texas’ and USC’s decisions recently to cancel their spring games for different reasons have sparked discussion about the value of spring games and what role spring practice still has.
—Sam Khan Jr., The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
President Donald Trump has poached former Rep. Mike Waltz to be his national security advisor and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to be his U.N. ambassador, which makes the majority even slimmer.
—Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Feb. 2025
Hot Sauce Pictures, which was launched last year by Salisbury Poisonings pair Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, has poached drama commissioner Helen Ziegler from ITV as its first major hire.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poach
Cite this Entry
“Poach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poach. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poach
1 of 2 verb
: to cook in simmering liquid
poached eggs
poach
2 of 2 verb
: to hunt or fish unlawfully
poacher
noun
Etymology
Verb
Middle English pochen "to boil an egg without its shell so that the white covers the yolk like a bag," from early French pocher (same meaning), from earlier pochier, literally, "to put into a bag," from poche "bag, pocket"
Verb
from early French pocher "to hunt or fish unlawfully"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share