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Sense: 1
| Date: | 1400-1500 |
| Language: | Old French |
| Origin: | pochier, from poche 'bag, pocket' |
| Date: | 1600-1700 |
| Language: | Old French |
| Origin: | pocher |
1
cook
[transitive]a) DFC to cook an egg in or over gently boiling water, without its shell : 
poached eggs on toast
poached eggs on toastb) DFC to gently cook food, especially fish, in a small amount of boiling water, milk etc : Poach the salmon in white wine and water.
Poach the salmon in white wine and water.2 to illegally catch or shoot animals, birds, or fish, especially on private land without permission : Deer have been poached here for years.
animals
[intransitive and transitive]SCCDeer have been poached here for years.3 to persuade someone who belongs to another organization, team etc to leave it and join yours, especially in a secret or dishonest way : That company's always poaching our staff.
people
[transitive]That company's always poaching our staff.4 to take and use someone else's ideas unfairly or illegally
steal ideas
[transitive] poach from characters poached from Shakespeare
characters poached from Shakespeare5 to do something that is someone else's responsibility, especially when they do not want you to do it
poach on somebody's territory/preserve
British English —poaching noun [uncountable] the poaching of elephants for their ivory tusks
WORD FOCUS: cook the poaching of elephants for their ivory tusks
WORD FOCUS: cook fry (in oil)
boil (in hot water)
bake (bread and cakes in an oven)
roast (meat or vegetables in an oven)
microwave (using a microwave oven)
grill/broil American English (using a grill)
steam, toast, simmer, poach, barbecue, stir-fry, saute, chargrill
raw (not cooked)
rare (used about meat that has been cooked for a short time)
well-done (used about meat that has been cooked for a long time)cook
➔ See also cook
