Poke

Poke is an English word with multiple, unrelated meanings. As a verb, it means to prod or jab with a finger or object, often to gain someone’s attention or provoke a reaction. As a noun, poke can refer to the act itself or to the instrument used to poke.

Poke (Hawaiian dish) is a traditional Hawaiian preparation consisting of raw, diced fish that is seasoned or marinated. The word poke in Hawaiian means to slice or cut into pieces, reflecting its method. Classic poke traditionally uses ahi tuna, but many modern versions include salmon, octopus, or plant-based proteins. Common seasonings and ingredients include soy sauce (shoyu), sesame oil, onions, seaweed, sesame seeds, chili peppers, and citrus. Poke is frequently served over rice or as part of a poke bowl with toppings such as avocado, cucumber, and pickled vegetables. The dish originated among Hawaii’s local fishermen and has spread worldwide, evolving into numerous regional styles and restaurant formats, from casual bowls to pre-packaged options.

Poke is also a long-running feature on the social networking site Facebook. The function allows a user to send a light nudge to another user to get their attention or prompt a response. Introduced in Facebook’s early years, the poke has varied in prominence across regions and over time, but remains a recognizable part of the platform’s history.

In computing, poke can describe a memory-write operation in which a program writes a value to a specific memory address. This usage appears in low-level programming contexts and contrasts with memory-reading terms in other environments.