provoke
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex.
- Synonyms:
- infuriate , exacerbate , aggravate , annoy , irk
-
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.
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
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.
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.
From Barron's
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."
From BBC
Glioblastoma is often labeled a "cold tumor" because it does not naturally provoke a strong immune response.
From Science Daily
The long-term rise in beef prices has provoked market participants into a spate of finger-pointing, not all of which is groundless.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
