POACH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does poach mean? 

• POACH (verb)
  The verb POACH has 2 senses:

1. hunt illegally

2. cook in a simmering liquid

  Familiarity information: POACH used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POACH (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they poach    ... he / she / it poaches   
Past simple: poached   
Past participle: poached   
-ing form: poaching   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hunt illegally

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Context example:

people are poaching elephants for their ivory

Hypernyms (to "poach" is one way to...):

hunt; hunt down; run; track down (pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sentence examples:

The men poach the area for animals
The men poach for animals in the area

Derivation:

poacher (someone who hunts or fishes illegally on the property of another)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cook in a simmering liquid

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

poached apricots

Hypernyms (to "poach" is one way to...):

cook (transform and make suitable for consumption by heating)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The chefs poach the vegetables

Derivation:

poacher (a cooking vessel designed to poach food (such as fish or eggs))

poaching (cooking in simmering liquid)

 Context examples 

It was painted black, and from the talk of the hunters of their poaching exploits I recognized it as a United States revenue cutter.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

"A few of these caves are in national parks, but there's a lot of poaching everywhere."

(Snakes Hunt in Groups, Study Suggests, VOA)

‘Well, that’s true enough,’ said he. ‘You know, Victor,’ turning to his son, ‘when we broke up that poaching gang, they swore to knife us, and Sir Edward Holly has actually been attacked.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)