Advertisement
Advertisement
provoke
[pruh-vohk]
verb (used with object)
to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex.
to stir up, arouse, or call forth (feelings, desires, or activity).
The mishap provoked a hearty laugh.
to incite or stimulate (a person, animal, etc.) to action.
to give rise to, induce, or bring about.
What could have provoked such an incident?
Obsolete., to summon.
provoke
/ prəˈvəʊk /
verb
to anger or infuriate
to cause to act or behave in a certain manner; incite or stimulate
to promote (certain feelings, esp anger, indignation, etc) in a person
obsolete, to summon
Other Word Forms
- provoker noun
- misprovoke verb (used with object)
- overprovoke verb
- preprovoke verb (used with object)
- provokingly adverb
- provoking adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of provoke1
Example Sentences
Beale’s attempt to modernize Lloyd’s culture and technology provoked a “complete backlash right from the beginning,” including a stream of hostile emails and letters, she said.
But the Venezuelans are "trying hard not to provoke the US," said Guillaume Long, a senior research fellow at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research and a former Ecuadoran foreign minister.
He went on to express the superstitions some officers have about tackling rogue herbalists: "I will not go and provoke situations. I know that they have their own powers that are beyond my knowledge."
Glioblastoma is often labeled a "cold tumor" because it does not naturally provoke a strong immune response.
The long-term rise in beef prices has provoked market participants into a spate of finger-pointing, not all of which is groundless.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse
