provoke

verb

pro·​voke prə-ˈvōk How to pronounce provoke (audio)
provoked; provoking
Synonyms of provoke

transitive verb

1
a
: to call forth (a feeling, an action, etc.) : evoke
provoke laughter
b
: to stir up purposely
provoke a fight
c
: to provide the needed stimulus for
will provoke a lot of discussion
2
a
: to incite to anger
b
archaic : to arouse to a feeling or action
provoker noun

Synonyms of provoke

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for provoke

provoke, excite, stimulate, pique, quicken mean to arouse as if by pricking.

provoke directs attention to the response called forth.

my stories usually provoke laughter

excite implies a stirring up or moving profoundly.

news that excited anger and frustration

stimulate suggests a rousing out of lethargy, quiescence, or indifference.

stimulating conversation

pique suggests stimulating by mild irritation or challenge.

that remark piqued my interest

quicken implies beneficially stimulating and making active or lively.

the high salary quickened her desire to have the job

synonyms see in addition irritate

Examples of provoke in a Sentence

His remarks provoked both tears and laughter. He just says those things because he's trying to provoke you. The animal will not attack unless it is provoked.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Not that one needed to be a potential fact checker to provoke an unfatherly response from Papa. — Stephen Bates, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 Flex wrote in the first post, insinuating that Stokes was attempting to provoke him to attack him in order to have reason to file a lawsuit against him. — Preezy Brown, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026 North Korea denied responsibility for the explosions and warned of strong retaliation if provoked. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 French’s post provoked social media responses calling for violence against Indians and desecrating Hindu temples. — Arun Brahmbhatt, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for provoke

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French *provoker, provocher, from Latin provocare, from pro- forth + vocare to call, from voc-, vox voice — more at pro-, voice

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Time Traveler
The first known use of provoke was in the 14th century

Rhymes for provoke

See All Rhymes for provoke

Browse Nearby Words

provocatory
provoke
provoking
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Provoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provoke. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

provoke

verb
pro·​voke prə-ˈvōk How to pronounce provoke (audio)
provoked; provoking
1
: to excite to anger
2
: to stir up : bring about
provoke an argument
Etymology

Middle English provoken "to arouse to strong feeling or action," from early French provoquer (same meaning), from Latin provocare "to call forth, stir up," from pro- "forth, forward" and vocare "to call" — related to advocate, revoke, vocation

Medical Definition

provoke

transitive verb
pro·​voke prə-ˈvōk How to pronounce provoke (audio)
provoked; provoking
: to induce (a physical reaction)
ipecac provokes vomiting

Legal Definition

provoke

transitive verb
pro·​voke prə-ˈvōk How to pronounce provoke (audio)
provoked; provoking
1
: to incite to anger
2
: to provide the needed stimulus for
provoker noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All