# poke the bear

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To deliberately aggravate somebody, especially somebody in a position of power or authority.
2. To deliberately anger Russia or the Russian government.

## Etymology
The second sense refers to the use of bears to represent Russia, as a shortening of the idiom "poke the Russian bear" (to anger or threaten Russia and start a war with Russia).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/poke-the-bear