invoke
verb (used with object)
to call for with earnest desire; make supplication or pray for.
were invoking
-
past progressiveof invoke.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The individual investors who perceived hedge funds as secretive, sinister market manipulators during the meme-stock craze of 2020-21 were invoking a deeply embedded meaning of the word “hedge” they might not have been aware of.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
She added that the police were "invoking mass disaster protocols".
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2026
He said that some of the world’s smallest nations were invoking the power of international law against major polluters.
From New York Times ● May 21, 2024
And some were invoking words like “consequences” and “catastrophic,” he said, raising the possibility that they were anticipating or even planning real-world ramifications.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2022
"There," said the canon to his young friend; "you did not know that, when you were invoking your holy patrons, you were standing immediately over their tomb."
From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by E. Rameur
