invoked
Americanadjective
-
(of a deity, saint, Muse, etc.) petitioned, prayed to, or called upon for help or aid.
On all four sides of the obelisk there are inscriptions associating the invoked deities with the cardinal points of the compass.
-
prayed or asked for with earnest desire.
Many drivers who have miraculously escaped from car accidents credit the invoked protection of St. Christopher.
-
declared to be in effect.
While overseas he was detained by local police for allegedly misstating his company's registered assets—a rarely invoked charge.
-
appealed to or mentioned, as for confirmation or justification.
This logic of caution is most recognizable in the often invoked slogan that “risk management is good business.”
-
(of a spirit) called forth or summoned by incantation.
The initiation ritual is a one-to-one encounter with an initiator, who acts as agent for the invoked powers in the spirit world.
-
Computers. displayed, opened, or executed as a result of clicking on a link, entering a search term, changing a parameter, etc..
If you click on the Back arrow, the invoked view will replace the current view in the navigation history.
-
caused or brought about by a certain thing or in a certain way (often used in combination).
The report ignored the millions of refugees fleeing the recent military-invoked escalation of violence in the region.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of invoked
First recorded in 1795–1805; invoke ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; invoke ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
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.
Inspect the footage closely, and questions surface—notably, around an absence of the police invoked in the video’s title.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
President Donald Trump invoked the Fifth repeatedly in a deposition for a civil case against the Trump Organization in New York back in 2022, before he returned to the White House.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
At a civil deposition in 2022, he invoked the Fifth more than 440 times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
In the two decades since, Purcell has become one of election law’s most invoked doctrines.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Compton was even more infuriated to learn that the army had invoked his name to justify its action.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions 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.
