- [transitive] poach something
to cook food, especially fish, gently in a small amount of liquid 水煮，炖，煨（尤指鱼） poached salmon 清炖鲑鱼 chicken poached in white wine 白葡萄酒煮鸡
- [transitive] poach something
to cook an egg gently in nearly boiling water after removing its shell 水煮（荷包蛋） - [transitive, intransitive] poach (something)
to illegally hunt birds, animals or fish on somebody else’s property or without permission （在他人地界）偷猎，偷捕 - [transitive, intransitive]
to take and use somebody/something that belongs to somebody/something else, especially in a secret, dishonest or unfair way 盗用；挖走（人员等） - poach somebody/something from somebody/something
The company poached the contract from their main rivals. 这家公司窃取了其主要竞争对手的合同。 🔊🔊 - poach (somebody/something)
Several of our employees have been poached by a rival firm. 我们公司有好几名职员被对手公司给挖走了。 🔊🔊 She accused him of poaching her ideas. 她指控他剽窃了她的观点。 I hope I'm not poaching on your territory (= doing something that is actually your responsibility). 但愿我没有侵犯你的职权。 🔊🔊
- poach somebody/something from somebody/something
Word Originsenses 1 to 2 late Middle English: from Old French pochier, earlier in the sense ‘enclose in a bag’, from poche ‘bag, pocket’.senses 3 to 4 early 16th cent. (in the sense ‘push roughly together’): apparently related to poke; perhaps partly from French pocher ‘enclose in a bag’, from poche ‘bag, pocket’.