WordGarden.iotoke
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /tˈəʊk/
US
- /toʊk/obsoleteslangnoun
Meanings
Noun
(slang)a puff or draw from a smoked substance
Verb
(slang)to smoke by taking puffs or draws
Beyond the definition
"Toke" has a small but interesting place in English. Today, its main meaning is connected to marijuana: it can mean to inhale the smoke, or it can mean a single puff from a joint, pipe, or bong. That is the meaning most people know, and it is the one you are most likely to hear in everyday speech. The word also has a second common use in casinos, where it means a tip given to a dealer or another gaming worker. There is also an older and much rarer sense referring to a bit of bread or food, but most learners will almost never meet that meaning.
The word "toke" is informal and strongly tied to a few specific settings. Its best-known meaning is related to marijuana. As a verb, it means to inhale the smoke. As a noun, it means one puff. In modern English, this is by far the most familiar sense, especially in casual speech. You might hear someone say they "toked" at a party, or ask for "just one toke" from a joint. In both cases, the word points to marijuana smoking rather than smoking in general.
The word also has a separate meaning in casino language. There, a "toke" is a tip given to a dealer, and the plural "tokes" is common in that setting. This use is not as widespread in everyday conversation as the marijuana sense, but it is well established in gambling culture and can appear in speech, movies, or writing about casinos.
There is also an old and uncommon meaning referring to a small piece of bread or a little food. That sense is now rare and is mainly of historical interest. So if you meet the word today, context matters a lot: in most cases it will refer to marijuana, sometimes it will refer to a casino tip, and only rarely will it carry the older food-related meaning.
Examples
- 1
Quick smoke
He stepped outside to take a quick toke before the show started.
- Phrasetake a toke
smoke once
- 2
Physical reaction
After one toke, she started coughing and handed the joint back.
- 3
Shared smoking
They sat on the balcony, talking and toking on a shared joint.
- Patterntoke on + smoking item
smoke it
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- tokenoun