poke around

VERB

beat the bushes

Synonyms

WEAK

forage nose around search search through

VERB

pursue

Synonyms

STRONGEST

go after seek

STRONG

accompany attend badger bait bug chivy dog fish harass harry haunt hound hunt oppress persevere persist plague ride shadow stalk tag tail trace track trail

WEAK

bird-dog camp on the doorstep of give chase hunt down move behind nose around play catch up prowl after run after run down scout out search for search high heaven search out take out after track down

Antonyms

STRONG

aid assist be lazy give up help ignore leave leave alone let go neglect quit run away stop support

WEAK

discontinue eschew retreat shun

VERB

straggle

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dawdle meander ramble

STRONG

drift lag loiter maunder poke range roam rove scramble spread straddle tail trail

WEAK

be late string out

Antonyms

STRONG

rush

WEAK

hurry run

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In this case, Ford’s rivals didn’t have to poke around under the hood to find its latest hack.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

Though Tesla’s board shouted down a Wall Street Journal report this spring that it had looked into finding a successor for Musk, it would be asinine not to poke around.

From Slate • Jul. 8, 2025

Then he had a poke around in his box.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2024

Vandegrift recommends joining a local mycology club to go on hikes and poke around for, as mycologist David Arora put it, "All That the Rain Promises and More..."

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2023

I have been to Alaska some twenty times during the past twenty years—to climb mountains, to work as a carpenter and a commercial salmon fisherman and a journalist, to goof off, to poke around.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

poke around

Example Sentences

Related Words