stokes

4 definitions • 6 examples

to add fuel to a large fire and move the fuel around with a stick so that it burns well and produces a lot of heat:

Once the fire had been stoked up, the room began to get warm.

to encourage bad ideas or feelings in a lot of people:

He's been accused of stoking up racial hatred in the region.

Rumours of an emergency meeting of the finance committee stoked the atmosphere of crisis.

to add fuel to a large enclosed fire and move the fuel around so that it burns well and produces a lot of heat:

Returning to the camp, he stoked the fire.

fig. The flag is a symbol used to stoke the flames of (= increase) national pride.

to encourage negative ideas or feelings about a particular situation:

Worries about the company's future revenue growth were stoked by a drop in personal computer sales.