provoked
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of provoked
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.
Supriyono, another protest coordinator, told AFP he was concerned the unrest could have been deliberately provoked.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
That’s almost certainly what provoked Carney to fight back, and no conceivable Canadian leader could have done otherwise.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
"What the defendant did offended the Balinese people, hurt their faith and provoked public outrage," the presiding judge said, according to the Associated Press.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“It provoked great discussions about death, afterlife, religion in general and great character studies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Remarkably, the phenomenon was proved in 1997 when physicists at the University of Geneva sent photons seven miles in opposite directions and demonstrated that interfering with one provoked an instantaneous response in the other.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
