stoke: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal/Technical (literal); Informal/Figurative (metaphorical).
Quick answer
What does “stoke” mean?
To add fuel to (a fire, furnace, or boiler) to make it burn more strongly.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To add fuel to (a fire, furnace, or boiler) to make it burn more strongly.
To encourage or intensify a strong feeling, activity, or situation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning. The literal sense might be slightly more familiar in British English due to historical domestic coal use.
Connotations
Identical connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Comparable frequency; the figurative use dominates in contemporary general language.
Grammar
How to Use “stoke” in a Sentence
stoke + NP (stoke the furnace)stoke up + NP (stoke up the fire)stoke + NP + with + NP (stoke the engine with coal)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “stoke” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He went out to stoke the stove.
- The report stoked considerable anxiety among investors.
- They stoked up on a full English breakfast before the hike.
American English
- She stoked the campfire with fresh wood.
- The speech was designed to stoke partisan divisions.
- He stoked up on pancakes at the diner.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Figurative: 'The merger is likely to stoke competition in the sector.'
Academic
Figurative: 'The article stoked a long-running debate in sociological theory.'
Everyday
Figurative: 'His comments only stoked her anger further.'
Technical
Literal: 'The engineer stoked the boiler to maintain pressure.'
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “stoke”
- Incorrect: 'He stoked the discussion.' (Possible but less common; 'fueled' is better). Correct: 'He stoked the controversy surrounding the discussion.'
- Confusing spelling with 'stroke'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while often used for negative emotions (fear, anger), it can be used positively (e.g., 'stoke enthusiasm', 'stoke interest'). The key is the idea of intensifying.
'Provoke' means to cause a reaction, often suddenly. 'Stoke' implies a slower, more sustained process of feeding and intensifying something that already exists.
Rarely. It is almost always a transitive verb (e.g., stoke something). The phrasal verb 'stoke up' can be used intransitively in the informal sense of eating heartily.
The related noun is 'stoker' (a person who stokes a furnace). There is no direct noun '*stokement'. The action is described with gerund 'stoking' or other nouns like 'fueling'.
To add fuel to (a fire, furnace, or boiler) to make it burn more strongly.
Stoke is usually formal/technical (literal); informal/figurative (metaphorical). in register.
Stoke: in British English it is pronounced /stəʊk/, and in American English it is pronounced /stoʊk/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “stoke the fires of (conflict/ambition)”
- “stoke up (on food) [informal: to eat a lot]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a STOker on a steam train, adding coal to the fire to keep it going. To STOKE something is to add fuel to it, literally or figuratively.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTION/ACTIVITY IS FIRE (to stoke an emotion is to feed a fire).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the verb 'stoke' used MOST literally?