had provoked
- past perfect of provoke.
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.
Rivers’s signing had provoked a freakout over NFL development—Is America’s quarterback shortage this bleak?—but there was something to be said about having someone who’d done this before, many times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
Edmunds added the party was brought into disrepute when leadership "unceremoniously ditched" MP Rupert Lowe and that his suspension had "provoked a range of resignations".
From BBC ● May 7, 2025
Swift had provoked mass speculation earlier in the night when her site seemed to go down.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
The attorney general’s revelations — and Mr. Noboa’s subsequent plan to transfer gang leaders — had provoked intense anger.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2024
Mr. Stonecrop held the paper out with both hands, mumbled a moment until he found the right place, and then began to sputter as though great Lucifer himself had provoked him.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
