provoke
Americanverb (used with object)
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to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex.
- Synonyms:
- infuriate, exacerbate, aggravate, annoy, irk
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to stir up, arouse, or call forth (feelings, desires, or activity).
The mishap provoked a hearty laugh.
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to incite or stimulate (a person, animal, etc.) to action.
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to give rise to, induce, or bring about.
What could have provoked such an incident?
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Obsolete. to summon.
verb
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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
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- misprovoke verb (used with object)
- overprovoke verb
- preprovoke verb (used with object)
- provoker noun
- provoking adjective
- provokingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of provoke
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prōvocāre “to call forth, challenge, provoke,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + vocāre “to call”; akin to vōx voice
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.
For those of us not raised on ranches, these references can provoke some worthwhile personal research.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
A top Iranian official is warning that attacks on the Persian Gulf islands that form Iran’s southern maritime frontier would provoke a new level of retaliation.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026
But know that whatever you say or do, however benign, can be weaponized to provoke a reaction, and as much as we try, everyone has their breaking point.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026
I’m not sure what would provoke anyone to tune in, but like clockwork, the viewership billowed to the thousands.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
Richardson was playing every card he had, hollering in Woolf’s ear to try to distract him or provoke him into fouling himself out of the race.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
