evoke
Americanverb (used with object)
-
evokes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
evoked,
past participle, past
-
evoking
present participle
-
to call up or produce (memories, feelings, etc.).
to evoke a memory.
-
to elicit or draw forth.
His comment evoked protests from the shocked listeners.
-
to call up; cause to appear; summon.
to evoke a spirit from the dead.
-
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
-
to call or summon up (a memory, feeling, etc), esp from the past
-
to call forth or provoke; produce; elicit
his words evoked an angry reply
-
to cause (spirits) to appear; conjure up
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
evokesimple
-
evokessimple
-
have evokedperfect
-
has evokedperfect
-
am evokingprogressive
-
are evokingprogressive
-
is evokingprogressive
-
have been evokingperfect progressive
-
has been evokingperfect progressive
Past
-
evokedsimple
-
had evokedperfect
-
was evokingprogressive
-
were evokingprogressive
-
had been evokingperfect progressive
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The New SAT: The Language of the Test
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Pandas are "animals that have got a unique ability to inspire curiosity, instill passion, evoke joy, and unite people around the globe," CEO Raymond King told onlookers at Zoo Atlanta.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026
His stories are distinguished by their historical detail, dry wit and ability to evoke maximal horror from minimal description.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Based on concept art shown, expect a shimmering, scale-like pattern designed to evoke movement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
From one angle, these chapters evoke the Bronze Age world where the numinous was felt as hard fact.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
It is this sort of revolution, a revolution of unintended consequences and unforeseen outcomes, that Butterfield intended to evoke by the term ‘the Scientific Revolution’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Rather, it’s about keeping chocolate—or at least something that evokes its essence—affordable and available.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The former brilliantly evokes wistful teenage dreaming as a character walks through their high school, adorned by a yearning Caroline Polachek song and light-pink diary scribblings.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
It evokes what was said to be the mission statement of Google’s founders at the time of its IPO, which was “Don’t be evil.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
She says the royals remain "highly vulnerable" to anything that evokes the story of a "beautiful princess whose life was cut short in such tragic and ambiguous circumstances".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Composed in 1782, the sonata evokes the moon over calm, peaceful waters after the passing of a storm.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Leo has repeatedly evoked Francis, who disappointed many by never returning home as pope.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
The white-columned, neon-lit lobby evoked a tropical destination.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The incident evoked memories of one of the biggest jailbreaks in Tamil Nadu in 1995 when 43 suspected militants escaped from a special camp after digging a 153-foot-long tunnel beneath a historic fort.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The government also evoked for the first time Wednesday the potential of a full privatisation of TAP, in exchange for a stake in Lufthansa.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
If we were driving somewhere, motorists along the highway would wave to Malcolm X, the faces of both whites and Negroes spontaneously aglow with the wonderment that I had seen evoked by other “celebrities.”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
During his early years in power, Kim leaned heavily on the legitimacy of his grandfather, evoking the founder’s image by cropping his hair, packing on considerable weight and wearing Mao-style suits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026
For director Nitesh Tiwari, evoking the ancient poem's messaging was paramount.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
“Horror films are about evoking an emotional response and we’re hoping the exhibition will do the same,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Launching their new partnership with Oxen, Hull City have released a very retro kit for the new campaign, evoking the shirts the Tigers wore during the late seventies.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Then she told them of her own first vain effort at running away, evoking the memory of that miserable life she had led as a child, reliving it for a moment in the telling.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
