stoke

/stoʊk/
verb
  1. To add fuel to (a fire, furnace, or engine) and tend it so that it burns more strongly or continuously.
    • She stoked the campfire with dry branches to keep the flames high.
    • He got up early to stoke the wood stove before the house got too cold.
    • The engineer had to stoke the furnace every few hours to keep the steam engine running.
  2. To encourage or increase (a feeling, activity, or situation); to make something more intense.
    • Rumors of a merger stoked excitement among the company's employees.
    • The coach's pep talk stoked the team's determination to win the championship.
    • The politician's speech stoked fears about the economy among the audience.
Antonyms
noun
  1. A single act of adding fuel to a fire or furnace.
    • With one more stoke, the blacksmith brought the forge up to the right temperature.
    • He gave the boiler a quick stoke and then checked the pressure gauge.
    • The fire needed another stoke before it would last through the night.