poacher

/ˈpoʊtʃər/

/ˈpʌʊtʃtər/

Other forms: poachers

A poacher is someone who breaks the law to hunt or fish. If you see someone hunting deer in a state park that's got "No Hunting" signs posted on trees, that person is a poacher.

If you don't follow the rules and laws about hunting, but grab your shotgun and head into your neighbor's yard to shoot rabbits, you're in danger of being a poacher. Someone who captures wild animals illegally is also a poacher. A completely different, much nicer kind of poacher is the one you use for poaching eggs — this type of poaching consists of gently cooking food by submerging it in simmering water.

Definitions of poacher

1. noun

   someone who hunts or fishes illegally on the property of another
   type of:

   appropriator

   someone who takes for his or her own use (especially without permission)
2. noun

   small slender fish (to 8 inches) with body covered by bony plates; chiefly of deeper northern Pacific waters
   synonyms: sea poacher, sea poker

   types:

   Agonus cataphractus, armed bullhead, pogge

   northern Atlantic sea poacher

   Aspidophoroides monopterygius, alligatorfish

   small very elongate sea poachers

   type of:

   scorpaenoid, scorpaenoid fish

   fishes having the head armored with bony plates
3. noun

   a cooking vessel designed to poach food (such as fish or eggs)
   type of:

   cooking utensil, cookware

   a kitchen utensil made of material that does not melt easily; used for cooking

   vessel

   an object used as a container (especially for liquids)