invocation

American  

[in-vuh-kay-shuhn] / ˌɪn vəˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• invocations
  plural

1. the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., for aid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication.

2. any petitioning or supplication for help or aid.

3. a form of prayer invoking God's presence, especially one said at the beginning of a religious service or public ceremony.

4. an entreaty for aid and guidance from a Muse, deity, etc., at the beginning of an epic or epiclike poem.

5. the act of calling upon a spirit by incantation.

6. the magic formula used to conjure up a spirit; incantation.

7. the act of calling upon or referring to something, as a concept or document, for support and justification in a particular circumstance.

8. the enforcing or use of a legal or moral precept or right.

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invocation British  

/ ˌɪnvəˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of invoking or calling upon some agent for assistance

2. a prayer asking God for help, forgiveness, etc, esp as part of a religious service

3. an appeal for inspiration and guidance from a Muse or deity at the beginning of a poem

4. 1. the act of summoning a spirit or demon from another world by ritual incantation or magic

   2. the incantation used in this act

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preinvocation
  noun
• invocational
  adjective
• invocatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• invocations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of invocation

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English invocacio(u)n, from Latin invocātiōn-, stem of invocātiō “a calling upon”; see invocate, -ion

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Explanation

An invocation is an appeal to a higher power for help, such as a prayer for serenity or a plea to the rain gods during a drought. An invocation often refers to an appeal to something not of this world, such as a god or a spirit, but it can involve an appeal to any higher power, even one that is flesh and blood. During a close basketball game, for example, you may mutter an invocation to the former NBA star Michael Jordan asking that your team’s star player somehow gain the power to hit his jump shots. The word invocation can also be used in the sense of invoking a notable authority to support a position. If you say, “But my mom said I should never wear cheap clothing,” for example, that is an invocation of your mom in support of your desire to buy designer jeans.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

invocation invocations

Not many recall his reported invocation of another work of Sanskrit poetry that reads, “In sleep, in confusion, in the depths of shame/The good deeds a man has done before defend him.”

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Despite my invocation of my mother, the truth is the lifestyle that had once been important to her has never been important to me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

"The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics," Judge Rita Lin said in a 59-page decision seen by AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

He has a well-documented history of trafficking in conspiracy theories himself, which made his ambiguous invocation of federal involvement a kind of implicit validation to conspiracy theorists that there might be more to the story.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

His invocation was brief and punchy, and for a second I thought we were getting back on the high road to right action.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

The event included interfaith invocations, musical performances and block party-style celebrations along Broadway’s “Canyon of Heroes,” drawing attention to the city’s cultural and political diversity.

From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2026

Tina Brown called American Canto “absurdly pretentious,” wincing at its repeated invocations of Joan Didion’s unsettling Santa Ana winds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025

Comparisons to the late-1990s dot-com bubble abound, as do invocations of the crash that followed.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025

Some of it is slyly funny, if thin, like the occasional invocations of New Age pyramid power.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

They spoke of finding-spells, and invocations, and those Answerable Questions which only the Master Patterner of Roke can ask.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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