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
At the same time, the allies were trying to step back from a decades-old dependency on American technology, military power, and trade, without provoking Washington.
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
The two preachers have previously been detained by authorities, the most recent being in January, when they were summoned by police for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
“How provoking you are! I don’t approve of cigars and I will only allow it on condition that you let me put you into my sketch. I need a figure.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
