Pike vs. Poke — What's the Difference?

A long spear formerly used by infantry.

Jab or prod (someone or something) with one's finger or a sharp object

A freshwater game and food fish (Esox lucius) of the Northern Hemisphere that has a long snout and attains a length of over 1.2 meters (4 feet). Also called northern pike.

Thrust (something, such as one's head) in a particular direction

Any of various fishes closely related to this fish, such as the muskellunge or the pickerels.

An act of poking someone or something

Any of various fishes that resemble this fish.

A look or search around a place

A turnpike.

Power or acceleration in a car

A tollgate on a turnpike.

A woman's bonnet with a projecting brim or front, popular especially in the early 19th century.

A toll paid.

A bag or small sack

A hill with a pointed summit.

Another term for pokeweed

A spike or sharp point, as on the tip of a spear.

A North American plant of the lily family with a poisonous black rhizome and tall sprays of yellow-green flowers.

A mid-air position in sports such as diving and gymnastics in which the athlete bends to touch the feet or grab the calves or back of the thighs while keeping the legs together and straight.

A Hawaiian dish of marinated raw fish or seafood, often served over rice

To attack or pierce with a pike.

To push or jab at, as with a finger or an arm; prod.

To move quickly.

To make (a hole or pathway, for example) by or as if by prodding, elbowing, or jabbing

A very long spear used two-handed by infantry soldiers for thrusting (not throwing), both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a countermeasure against cavalry assaults.

To push; thrust

A sharp, pointed staff or implement.

To stir (a fire) by prodding the wood or coal with a poker or stick.

A large dry]] before adding to a haystack.

(Slang) To strike; punch.

Any carnivorous freshwater fish of the genus Esox, especially the northern pike, Esox lucius.

To make thrusts or jabs, as with a stick or poker.

A position with the knees straight and a tight bend at the hips with the torso folded over the legs, usually part of a jack-knife.

To pry or meddle; intrude

A pointy extrusion at the toe of a shoe.

To search or look curiously in a desultory manner

Especially in place names: a hill or mountain, particularly one with a sharp peak or summit.

To proceed in a slow or lazy manner; putter

(obsolete) A pick, a pickaxe.

To thrust forward; appear

A hayfork.

A push, thrust, or jab.

A penis.

(Slang) A punch or blow with the fist

(historical) A style of shoes with long toes, very popular in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries.

One who moves slowly or aimlessly; a dawdler.

A gypsy, itinerant tramp, or traveller from any ethnic background; a pikey.

A projecting brim at the front of a bonnet.

(transitive) To prod, attack, or injure someone with a pike.

A large bonnet having a projecting brim.

To assume a pike position.

A sack; a bag.

To bet or gamble with only small amounts of money.

Pokeweed.

Often followed by on or out: to quit or back out of a promise.

A Hawaiian salad or appetizer traditionally consisting of cubed raw fish, often yellowfin tuna, that is marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil, and mixed with diced onions, sesame seeds, and ginger.

(intransitive) To equip with a turnpike.

To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick.

To depart or travel (as if by a turnpike), especially to flee, to run away.

To stir up a fire to remove ash or promote burning.

A foot soldier's weapon, consisting of a long wooden shaft or staff, with a pointed steel head. It is now superseded by the bayonet.

(figuratively) To rummage; to feel or grope around.

A pointed head or spike; esp., one in the center of a shield or target.

To modify the value stored in (a memory address).

A hayfork.

(transitive) To put a poke device to prevent leaping or breaking fences on (an animal).

A pick.

(transitive) To thrust at with the horns; to gore.

A pointed or peaked hill.

To notify (another user) of activity on social media or an instant messenger.

A large haycock.

(transitive) To thrust (something) in a particular direction such as the tongue.

A turnpike; a toll bar.

To penetrate in sexual intercourse.

A large fresh-water fish (Esox lucius), found in Europe and America, highly valued as a food fish; - called also pickerel, gedd, luce, and jack.

A prod, jab, or thrust.

A broad highway designed for high-speed traffic

A lazy person; a dawdler.

Highly valued northern freshwater fish with lean flesh

A stupid or uninteresting person.

A sharp point (as on the end of a spear)

An old, worn-out horse.

Medieval weapon consisting of a spearhead attached to a long pole or pikestaff; superseded by the bayonet

(US) A device to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences, consisting of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward.

Any of several elongate long-snouted freshwater game and food fishes widely distributed in cooler parts of the northern hemisphere

The storage of a value in a memory address, typically to modify the behaviour of a program or to cheat at a video game.

A notification sent to get another user's attention on social media or an instant messenger.

A poke bonnet.

A hit, especially an extra base hit.

A sack or bag.

A long, wide sleeve.

An ice cream cone.

(dialectal) Pokeweed.

(Hawaii) Slices or cubes of raw fish or other raw seafood, mixed with sesame oil, seaweed, sea salt, herbs, spices, or other flavorful ingredients.

A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca (Phytolacca decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries; - called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.

A bag; a sack; a pocket.

A long, wide sleeve; - called also poke sleeve.

The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs.

A lazy person; a dawdler; also, a stupid or uninteresting person.

A contrivance to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences. It consists of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward.

To thrust or push against or into with anything pointed; hence, to stir up; to excite; as, to poke a fire.

To thrust with the horns; to gore.

To put a poke on; as, to poke an ox.

To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, to poke about.

Tall coarse perennial American herb having small white flowers followed by blackish-red berries on long drooping racemes; young fleshy stems are edible; berries and root are poisonous

A bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases

A sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow);

(boxing) a blow with the fist;

Poke or thrust abruptly;

Search or inquire in a meddlesome way;

Stir by poking;

Hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument;

Make a hole by poking