incite
Americanverb (used with object)
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incites,
present (3rd person singular)
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incited,
past participle, past
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inciting
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
Incite, rouse, provoke, inflame are verbs meaning to goad or inspire an individual or a group to take some action or to express some feeling. Incite and rouse are similar in that, although they can imply in some contexts abrasive or inflammatory arousal of violent or uncontrolled behavior, neither necessarily does so. Incite means simply to induce activity, of whatever kind: incited to greater effort by encouragement; incited to riot. Rouse has an underlying sense of awakening: to rouse the apathetic soldiers to a determination to win; to rouse the inattentive public to an awareness of the danger. Provoke implies a sense of challenge or irritation along with arousal and often suggests a resultant anger or violence: provoked by scathing references to his accomplishments; to provoke a wave of resentment. Inflame, with its root sense to set afire, implies a resultant intensity and passion: to inflame a mob by fiery speeches; He was inflamed to rage by constant frustration.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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incitationnoun
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incitementnoun
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inciternoun
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reinciteverb (used with object)
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incitableadjective
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incitantadjective
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unincitedadjective
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incitinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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incitesimple
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incitessimple
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have incitedperfect
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has incitedperfect
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am incitingprogressive
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are incitingprogressive
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is incitingprogressive
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have been incitingperfect progressive
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has been incitingperfect progressive
Past
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incitedsimple
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had incitedperfect
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was incitingprogressive
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were incitingprogressive
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had been incitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of incite
First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin incitāre, from in- in- 2 + citāre “to move repeatedly, set in motion, summon” ( see cite 1)
Explanation
To incite is to cause to act or occur. Violent words can incite violent actions which, in turn, might incite public outcry against violence. Incite comes from a Latin verb meaning "to move into action" and if you incite someone to do something, that is exactly how to describe it. Usually it is used in a negative context. Radical and intolerant teachings can incite hatred in those who listen. And if a government restricts its people too much, it can incite unrest and rebellion in the population.
Vocabulary lists containing incite
Fahrenheit 451
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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.
See Examples For:
The 36-year-old was told not to post or incite comments on social media about that case or Miss Harrison, but did so multiple times in 2025 while she was pregnant.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
IPO mania has begun, and nothing kickstarts initial public offerings like spreadsheets flashing green to incite the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
And in a brief explosive moment of recognition between their characters, Lane and Abbott incite the Winter Garden Theatre audience into a paroxysm of grief.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
They incite disputes because we live in a world that rewards arguing with undue power.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026
His master indeed forbade him from leaving his quarters on Sunday nights, for fear that in preaching of equality before the Lord on High, Isaac might incite riot on Earth.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
"Real Madrid condemns this type of gesture and expression that incites violence and hatred in sports and society."
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
In Eugene: John Belushi’s character Bluto incites the famous “Animal House” food fight at the Erb Memorial Union cafeteria at the University of Oregon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
Last month, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said tech firms "have an obligation now" to tackle material that incites violence.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2024
While the fruit incites revulsion at first, it eventually becomes an object of affection among the family portrayed in the film.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2024
I can see how our words are like fuel that incites him further.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
The measure bars or expels foreigners deemed to have "spread or incited hate messages" against the country or its people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
While this push to redirect the country’s scientific research has incited alarm, reactions to interventions in the historical humanities have been more muted.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Mourinho was criticised for saying after the match he believed Vinicius had incited the crowd by dancing at the corner flag after scoring the only goal of the game.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
The man in the tub is the French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat, a journalist and physician who had incited a series of judicial massacres.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
I no longer had the kind of ugly face that incited horror or pity, but now I was made unremarkable by my passing good looks.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
When that will happen remains to be seen, but Langione said recent factors, including public market interest in the technology and a hangover from their lack of AI readiness, are inciting enterprise investments this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The authorities had deployed security forces across major cities in the East African nation on 7 July and warned that they would act against anyone accused of inciting unrest.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The inciting accident itself closely mirrors the Chappaquiddick incident.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
The families of Stephen Oglivie and Henry Nowak have been resolute in demanding that these horrific attacks not be leveraged for inciting disorder—or for terrorizing the U.K.’s many immigrants.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
“Will you kindly leave? You are inciting my mother.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
