Showing results for "provoked"

• past participle of provoke.
• past tense form of provoke.

provoked

American  

[pruh-vohkt] / prəˈvoʊkt /

adjective

1. angered or enraged.

   The boys continued to test out the improved model until it was destroyed by a provoked weasel.

   For all the hype, the “riot” was actually quite mild—just a few empty beer cans and some stones thrown by an already provoked crowd.

2. stirred up or aroused.

   The longtime columnist says that it helps to have an easily provoked sense of indignation.

   To avoid being eaten, a provoked pufferfish blows itself up into a spiny living balloon the size of a volleyball.

3. prompted or caused by some action, behavior, or circumstance; brought about, often deliberately.

   His laugh was a contagious, easily provoked chuckle.

   A provoked bite can occur when a person teases a dog or tries to take away the dog's food while the dog is eating.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of provoke.

Other Word Forms

• unprovoked
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of provoked

provoke ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

provoked

In fact, the entire stock market could be best described as a casino that incentivizes absurd growth like the historic tech bubble provoked by the spread of artificial intelligence.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

"This is not Egypt's war and we will not be provoked," the official said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

In a move that provoked anguish among affected families, Bush was granted conditional bail after entering his final guilty pleas in April.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

That conflict provoked a sharp contraction in the manufacturing economy, with the Institute for Supply Management’s purchasing managers index falling to 49.1 by mid-2019.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

No piece in the series provoked more furious discussion.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• incensed