agent provocateur

American  

[ey-juhnt pruh-vok-uh-tur, a-zhahn praw-vaw-ka-tœr] / ˈeɪ dʒənt prəˌvɒk əˈtɜr, a ʒɑ̃ prɔ vɔ kaˈtœr /

noun

plural

agents provocateurs

1. a secret agent hired to incite suspected persons to some illegal action, outbreak, etc., that will make them liable to punishment.

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agent provocateur British  

/ aʒɑ̃ prɔvɔkatœr /

noun

1. a secret agent employed to provoke suspected persons to commit illegal acts and so be discredited or liable to punishment

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Etymology

Origin of agent provocateur

1875–80; < French: inciting agent; provocation, -eur

Example Sentences

Reckzeh had been set up as a spy and agent provocateur by the Gestapo: Thadden had been fooled by his elaborately constructed cover story.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

Dafydd Iwan said it was the work of an "agent provocateur" who looked like "a character from a B movie" before the 1969 investiture of Prince Charles.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2023

“One of the hopes here is that this series can be an agent provocateur to ask tough questions about what happened,” said Alex Gibney, who created the series with Wright and directed the first episode.

From Washington Post • Feb. 28, 2018

The sections of the commission’s report dealing with Avishai Raviv, a Shin Bet agent who moved in Mr. Amir’s circles, and whom some on the right viewed as an agent provocateur, remain classified.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2015

With him, the composer as agent provocateur had arrived.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall