📜 To refer to authority 🧙 To call for help 💻 To run code

to invoke

14 5.5

Make a computer function run so it does its task

verb
/ɪnˈvoʊk/

Specialized

: llamar a

Invoke the emergency protocols.
invoke the gate
invoke the procedure
invoke a function

Examples

A table-driven routine is used to decode the instruction and invoke the processing routine for it.

Academic text (1999)
For instance, you could attempt to invoke an SSE instruction on a cast char* pointer.

Blog text (18)
I'm going to invoke the name of my function.
And now we invoke our randomized strategy.
But now I invoke the plus on summation formula.
The function can be invoked at any level of the hierarchy.

Academic text (1996)
Distribution filters are invoked through query forms within the web interface.

Academic text (2000)
You can invoke the function by clicking the button in the application.
To run the script, make sure to invoke the correct method in the code.
The software allows users to easily invoke various procedures from the main menu.

Synonyms

to run

vsto invoke

∞ 2.2

To make a machine or device work

starts a particular routine inside a program rather than operate the whole device

to execute

vsto invoke

Specialized

57 4.2

To run a program or instruction on a computer

requests a specific subroutine to perform its internal code

Surface Forms

invoke infinitive

invoking present participle

invokes third person singular

invoked past

invoked past participle

Morphology

invoke = in + voke

The computing sense 'to call/run a function' is conceptually a metaphorical extension of 'call upon'; morphological parts are real but 'voke' is not a standalone English word, so learners may not derive the meaning from parts alone.

Etymology

Invoke comes from the Latin parts in-, 'in' or 'on', and vocare, 'to call', so in computing to invoke a function is to 'call' it so its code runs, like calling someone to do a task.