provoke
verb (used with object)
to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex.
were provoking
-
past progressiveof provoke.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.
We knew we were provoking people, which was very fun.
From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2022
Extractive and infrastructure megaprojects were provoking whole communities in opposition.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2021
“The government is alleging that his rallying calls asking people to come to the area as witnesses to this, asking people to bring flowers … to come peacefully” were provoking violence, Coan said.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 20, 2016
Some Oak Islanders speculated that shark fishermen attracting the animals to the coast with their oily bait, or by “chumming,” spreading fish parts into the water, were provoking the attacks.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 3, 2015
He seemed to ignore that settlers were provoking the Indigenous peoples, who were well aware of what the settlers intended.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
