Showing results for "provoked"

• past participle of provoke.
• past tense form of provoke.

provoked

American  

[pruh-vohkt] / prəˈvoʊkt /

adjective

1. angered or enraged.

   The boys continued to test out the improved model until it was destroyed by a provoked weasel.

   For all the hype, the “riot” was actually quite mild—just a few empty beer cans and some stones thrown by an already provoked crowd.

2. stirred up or aroused.

   The longtime columnist says that it helps to have an easily provoked sense of indignation.

   To avoid being eaten, a provoked pufferfish blows itself up into a spiny living balloon the size of a volleyball.

3. prompted or caused by some action, behavior, or circumstance; brought about, often deliberately.

   His laugh was a contagious, easily provoked chuckle.

   A provoked bite can occur when a person teases a dog or tries to take away the dog's food while the dog is eating.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of provoke.

Other Word Forms

• unprovoked
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of provoked

provoke ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

provoked

This is a fictional story, provoked by historical estimates that, from 1829 to 1865, between 4,000 and 10,000 enslaved persons sought freedom in Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Her death provoked widespread public grief and anger over the continued activity of paramilitary groups, which plagued the province during three decades of sectarian violence known as the Troubles.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

But it provoked a war that despite the regime's survival has done huge damage to Iran.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

His father-in-law was a merchant who received the tea that provoked the Boston Tea Party in 1773.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

“I was not dreaming,” I said, with some warmth, for her brazen coolness provoked me.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• incensed