1. To thrust forward or upward and out of something or some place. Suddenly, a gopher poked out and stared up at me. The child poked out to see what the commotion was.

2. To thrust or push something upward or forward and out of something or some place. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "poke" and "out." I poked my head out of the barricade to see if the attack had ceased. The dog poked its nose out of the kennel to sniff at all the animals passing by.