provoke
[ pruh-vohk ]
/ prəˈvoʊk /
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.
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RELATED WORDS
trespasser, assailant, invader, intruder, instigator, raider, initiator, agitator, firebrand, goad, incendiary, operative, rabble-rouser, radical, ringleader, spark, spy, troublemaker, provocateur
Nearby words
- provo,
- provocate,
- provocateur,
- provocation,
- provocative,
- provoking,
- provolone,
- provost,
- provost court,
- provost guard
Origin of provoke
SYNONYMS FOR provoke
Synonym study
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for provoker
She breaks into an affectionate laugh, and kisses its provoker, who protests.
Somehow Good|William de MorganNay, now I have caught you; there was neither inviter, nor provoker, for I was all alone.
Not only was he a great preacher, he was a leader, an inspirer, and a provoker of good.
A Backward Glance at Eighty|Charles A. MurdockIt may too, by negligence, become a provoker of dissension and enmity.
The Young Maiden|A. B. (Artemas Bowers) Muzzey
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
Word Origin for provoke
C15: from Latin prōvocāre to call forth, from vocāre to call
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
provoke
late 14c., from Old French provoker, provochier (12c., Modern French provoquer) and directly from Latin provocare "call forth, challenge," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + vocare "to call" (see voice (n.)). Related: Provoked; provoking.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper