Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

poach

/ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.68 in modern English

Syllables: poach
IPA: /ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cook (something) in simmering or very hot liquid (usually water; sometimes wine, broth, or otherwise).

Transitive verb

verb

To be cooked in such manner.

Intransitive verb

noun

The act of cooking in simmering liquid.

verb

To trespass on another's property to take fish or game.

verb

To take game or fish illegally.

verb

To take anything illegally or unfairly.

verb

To intrude; to interfere; to get involved inappropriately, without welcome.

verb

To entice (an employee or customer) to switch from a competing company to one's own.

Example Sentences

"Eldridge closed the despatch-case with a snap and, rising briskly, walked down the corridor to his solitary table in the dining-car. Mulligatawny soup, poached turbot, roast leg of lamb—the usual railway dinner."
"The white of an egg with spirit of wine, doth bake the egg into clots, as if it began to poach."
"Peaches are so perfect they need very little to make them extra special—just a quick poach in basil-scented rosé wine and a few adoring strawberries."
"A 2016 study using carbon dating of more than 200 tusks from seizures spanning nine countries suggested that illegal ivory originates from elephants poached recently, instead of being pilfered from aging stockpiles kept by various nations."
"Chelsea's embarrassment was symbolised by Ross Barkley's inexplicable header straight to the feet of Aguero to poach his second and Ilkay Gundogan capped that early blitz with a low drive."
"to poach in foreign academic disciplines"

Etymology

From Middle English pochen (“to poach (eggs)”), from Old French pocher "to put (egg yolks) in pockets" (i.e. in bags formed by the whites), from Old French poche (“pocket”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: pochen, pocher, poche

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Food.

Inflected Forms

poaches (present, singular) poaching (participle, present) poached (participle, past) poached (past) poaches (plural)

Derived Forms

poachable poacher poachy pochard unpoached

Phrases

poached egg poach up

Frequently Paired Words

boil deep fry

Synonyms

jab run through chef chib ching chive enthrill foin gore gride job juke

Rhymes With

coach approach roach roche reproach broach encroach roache goetsch caroche brooch loh

Questions

How do you pronounce poach?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/.
What does poach mean?: To cook (something) in simmering or very hot liquid (usually water; sometimes wine, broth, or otherwise).
Where does poach come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce poach

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “poach”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “poach”.
Repeat and practice — Say “poach” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.