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.
SYNONYMS FOR provoke
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Origin of provoke
OTHER WORDS FROM provoke
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for provoke
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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