Meaning & use
keep poking the bear
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Meaning
phraseidiominformalfigurative
To keep provoking a powerful person or group, risking a strong and harmful reaction.
Grammar: Used without an object; the person being provoked is understood from context or added with 'by doing something'.
Patterns
- keep poking the bear
- keep poking the bear by doing something
- stop poking the bear
By publishing those articles, the paper kept poking the bear and eventually faced a lawsuit.
He knew the manager was angry, but he kept poking the bear with sarcastic comments.
Some analysts warn that the country is poking the bear by testing missiles nearby.
Common combinations
- poke the bear
- Posting that comment was really poking the bear.
- keep poking the bear
- They kept poking the bear until the company responded.
- stop poking the bear
- My advice is to stop poking the bear and stay quiet.
- like poking a bear
- Arguing with her when she is tired is like poking a bear.
Synonyms and how they differ
- provoke someone
- A direct verb meaning to make someone angry on purpose; it is neutral in register.
- push your luck
- Similar idea of risking trouble, but it does not suggest a powerful opponent.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: keep poking the bear or poke the bear?
keep poking the bear vs poke the bear
The base form describes one act of provocation; 'keep poking the bear' stresses doing it again and again.
Practice
What does 'keep poking the bear' mean?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means repeatedly provoking a powerful person or group; the other options describe literal feeding, avoidance, or slow work, which do not match the figurative meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “keep poking the bear”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.