evoke
Americanverb (used with object)
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to call up or produce (memories, feelings, etc.).
to evoke a memory.
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to elicit or draw forth.
His comment evoked protests from the shocked listeners.
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to call up; cause to appear; summon.
to evoke a spirit from the dead.
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to produce or suggest through artistry and imagination a vivid impression of reality.
a short passage that manages to evoke the smells, colors, sounds, and shapes of that metropolis.
verb
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to call or summon up (a memory, feeling, etc), esp from the past
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to call forth or provoke; produce; elicit
his words evoked an angry reply
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to cause (spirits) to appear; conjure up
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has evokedperfect 3rd person singular
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have evokedperfect
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is evokingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been evokingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been evokingperfect progressive
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are evokingprogressive
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am evokingprogressive 1st person singular
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evokessingular 3rd person
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evokingparticiple
Past
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had evokedperfect
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were evokingprogressive plural
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had been evokingperfect progressive
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was evokingprogressive singular
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evokedparticiple
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evokedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of evoke
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin ēvocāre, from ē- e- 1 + vocāre “to call” (akin to vōx voice )
Explanation
The verb evoke most commonly means to bring a feeling, memory, or picture into the mind. When you visit your old elementary school, the smells, sounds, and colors there can evoke memories from the past. Similarly, a certain reaction can be evoked by words or actions, as in "His comments evoked anger in the community." A near synonym is elicit, as in "No matter how many different ways the detective questioned the suspect, he could not elicit any response. Evoke was borrowed from Latin evocare, from the prefix e- "out," plus vocare "to call."
Vocabulary lists containing evoke
Night
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I tasked each of them to craft an individual curated playlist for whatever occasion or mood they wanted to evoke for the summer.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Englishness can evoke two broad emotions: a benign feeling or divisiveness.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Opie noted that the title “Holding Blue” refers to both the physical presence of the mountains and the emotional responses they evoke.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
The role should evoke the word’s maternal roots, the sense of comfort and care that a house mother elicits.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
It was incredible that what I did or the way I lived could evoke tears from anyone.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
