Meaning & use
poached
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“poached” is a form of “poach”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Cooked gently in simmering water or another liquid, especially describing eggs or fish.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a poached egg, poached salmon.
Patterns
- poached in something
She ordered toast with a poached egg on top.
The poached pears were served with cream.
Poached chicken is soft and works well in salads.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past tense and past participle of poach: caught or killed wild animals illegally on someone else's land or in a protected area.
Grammar: Can take an object (poached elephants) or stand alone (they poached for years).
Patterns
- poached something from somewhere
Rangers found that rhinos had been poached in the reserve.
Two men were fined for having poached salmon from the river.
The gang poached for years before anyone caught them.
verbtransitiveinformal
Past tense and past participle of poach: persuaded an employee or customer to leave a rival and join you.
Grammar: Takes an object: they poached our best designer.
Patterns
- poached someone from someone
- poached someone away
Our rival poached three engineers last month.
The coach was poached by a bigger club.
They poached several clients by offering lower prices.
Common combinations
- poached egg
- I like my poached egg with a runny yolk.
- poached salmon
- The menu offers poached salmon with dill sauce.
- poached from a rival
- The chef was poached from a rival restaurant.
- poached illegally
- Ivory that was poached illegally was seized at the port.
- lightly poached
- Add the lightly poached fruit to the salad.
Synonyms and how they differ
- simmered
- Simmered describes any food kept just below boiling, whereas poached is used for delicate foods such as eggs and fish cooked whole in liquid.
- lured away
- Lured away focuses on the temptation offered, while poached for staff suggests a more aggressive, competitive move.
- hunted illegally
- Hunted illegally is a plain description, while poached is the standard word for illegal taking of wildlife.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: poached or pouched?
poached vs pouched
Pouched means having a pouch, as a kangaroo does. It sounds similar but has nothing to do with cooking or hunting.
Practice
Which sentence uses poached in the business sense?
Choose one answer.
Only the third sentence is about luring staff from a rival. The first and fourth are cooking, and the second is illegal hunting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “poached”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.