provoke
pronunciation
How to pronounce provoke in British English:
UK [prəˈvəʊk]
How to pronounce provoke in American English:
US [prəˈvoʊk]
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- Verb:
- call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
- call forth
- provide the needed stimulus for
- annoy continually or chronically
Word Origin
- provoke
- provoke: see vocation
- provoke (v.)
- late 14c., from Old French provoker, provochier (12c., Modern French provoquer) and directly from Latin provocare "call forth, challenge," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + vocare "to call" (see voice (n.)). Related: Provoked; provoking.
Example
- 1. Did mr nasrallah intend to provoke a powerful reaction ?
- 2. They might seek to provoke communal or religious clashes .
- 3. A sectarian auteur with modest means used the web to provoke enemies directly .
- 4. And worse , it could provoke china into playing the regionalism game .
- 5. Pope benedict can claim that his remarks last tuesday were not intended to provoke .