1. Literally, to make a fire burn hotter or brighter by stirring it or adding fuel. A noun or pronoun can be used between "stoke" and "up." It's my job to stoke the fire up throughout the night so the camp remains warm. You'll need to stoke up the furnace a bit more if we want it hot enough to melt this iron.

2. To incite or intensify negative emotions or reactions to something. The candidate has been stoking up controversy throughout the campaign, discrediting and slandering his opponents with outrageous and unprovable claims. The police chief stoked the fury of the protestors up when he announced that the officers involved in the shooting would not be forced to resign.

3. To start and warm up some piece of machinery, especially a car motor or engine, in preparation for its use. The official gave the signal and the drivers stoked up their engines. Make sure you leave the car idling while we rob the place—I don't want to wait for you to stoke the thing up while we're trying to make a getaway.