provoke
[ pruh-vohk ]
/ prəˈvoʊk /
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verb (used with object), pro·voked, pro·vok·ing.
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.
OTHER WORDS FOR provoke
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Origin of provoke
OTHER WORDS FROM provoke
pro·vok·er, nounmis·pro·voke, verb (used with object), mis·pro·voked, mis·pro·vok·ing.o·ver·pro·voke, verb, o·ver·pro·voked, o·ver·pro·vok·ing.pre·pro·voke, verb (used with object), pre·pro·voked, pre·pro·vok·ing.Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use provoke in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for provoke
provoke
/ (prəˈvəʊk) /
verb (tr)
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
Derived forms of provoke
provoking, adjectiveprovokingly, adverbWord Origin for provoke
C15: from Latin prōvocāre to call forth, from vocāre to call
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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