provoking
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of provoking
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.
For some time, Nicaragua’s leaders have largely avoided provoking Trump.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The decisive question is how long Iran's leaders can preserve Hormuz as leverage without provoking an all-out war, renewed unrest or the construction of alternative routes that make the strait matter less.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Carney would try to sway the outcome, without provoking the superpower that imports three-quarters of Canada’s goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Price increases raise concern that consumers will buy fewer devices, reducing memory demand overall, as well as provoking worries about frosty relationships between the memory-chip companies and their biggest customers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
“And tomorrow Lady Constance will be out all day visiting the poor, which means we may come and go—” She could have said, “without provoking a ridiculous tantrum,” but that would have been unkind.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
