Meaning & use
poach
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To hunt or catch animals or fish illegally, especially on private land or in a protected area.
Grammar: Takes an object (poach elephants) or none (they poach at night).
Patterns
- poach something
- poach for something
Men were arrested for poaching deer on the estate.
Rangers patrol the park to stop people poaching rhinos.
Locals poach for ivory despite the heavy fines.
verbtransitive
To cook food gently in liquid that is just below boiling.
Grammar: Takes an object: poach an egg.
Patterns
- poach something in something
She poached the salmon in white wine and herbs.
I like my eggs poached with a runny center.
Poach the pears in syrup until they are tender.
verbtransitiveinformaldisapproving
To lure away someone, such as an employee or customer, from a rival.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with from: poach staff from a competitor.
Patterns
- poach someone from someone
The rival firm poached three of our best engineers.
Big clubs often poach talented players from smaller teams.
Word forms
| third person singular | poaches |
|---|---|
| past tense | poached |
| past participle | poached |
| -ing form | poaching |
Common combinations
- poach an egg
- He learned how to poach an egg without breaking the yolk.
- poach salmon
- They poach salmon for the summer buffet.
- poach elephants
- Armed gangs poach elephants for their tusks.
- poach staff
- Larger companies poach staff with higher salaries.
- poached egg
- I ordered spinach with a poached egg on top.
Synonyms and how they differ
- simmer
- Simmer means to cook liquid just below boiling, but unlike poach it need not describe cooking food immersed in it.
- hunt illegally
- Hunt illegally is a plain phrase for the first meaning, while poach is the specific single word.
- headhunt
- Headhunt means actively recruiting top staff, but unlike poach it does not imply taking from a rival.
- steal
- Steal is the general word, and poach suggests taking something that belongs to another in a particular area, such as game or workers.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: poach or poke?
poach vs poke
Poke means to push with a finger or stick and has no connection with hunting or cooking.
Practice
In which sentence does poach mean to cook?
Choose one answer.
Cooking in broth is the culinary sense. The other sentences concern hunting illegally and luring away workers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “poach”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.