to provoke
115
3.7
- verb
- /prəˈvoʊk/
:
provocar
- It's now more important than ever to avoid actions that would provoke or exacerbate the tensions.
- provoke a reaction
- provoke thought
- provoke a crisis
What Israel responds provokes the whole Arab world.
- What Israel responds provokes the whole Arab world.
- And how, if so, how can we try and provoke that that sublime feeling?
- A direct attack could, in theory, provoke patriotism in the Russian troops.
- And they develop more and more cures which then provoke other problems.
- And it's when those compounds do pass through that you can provoke an inflammatory response.
- And maybe art making through social engagement is one way to provoke reflection.
- I mean, there are certainly, there are certainly issues that, that do provoke disagreement in the community.
- And so for me, the I don't need that that question in order to provoke me into that stance.
- Freedom of speech creates ideas, Freedom of speech provokes thought.
- They knew that the other side were going to be provoked.
- Then they say, OK, if you provoke an attack, all right, that's the shooter in the theater.
- And what I like so much about Kamala Harris are the conversations that she's provoking on the right.
- It's now more important than ever to avoid actions that would provoke or exacerbate the tensions.
Examples
-
And if China does overcome its limitations, it could provoke a complete realignment of the international system.
Academic text (2011) -
Sharing an HIV-positive diagnosis can provoke feelings of anxiety and threats to personal well-being.
Academic text (2008) -
So I I would look for other circumstances that would provoke the same fear and practice those as much as possible.
-
I mean, what did he do to provoke all of this?
-
Use video as a way to provoke people to think in different ways about a topic.
Academic text (2011) -
And maybe art making through social engagement is one way to provoke reflection.
-
The function of a civil resister is to provoke response.
-
Folk media allow for participation of the community, generate discussion, and provoke a reconsideration of social norms.
Academic text (2011) -
But for a major global trading power to hide behind such loopholes provokes substantial international strains.
Academic text (2008) -
The teacher used thoughtful questions to provoke a lively discussion among the students.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To make something happen
∞
3.2
To bring up a subject or cause people to notice it
422
4.2
To cause something to start or happen
331
2.7
To make someone feel very happy, interested, or eager
236
3.7
Make a person or thing more active, alert and responsive
168
5.3
Cause a process, event, or feeling to start
154
3.4
To cause something to start, often an idea or strong feeling
131
3.7
To make someone feel a strong emotion
72
7.7
To push people to do violent or illegal acts
71
4.8
To bring a memory, image, or feeling to mind
62
4.8
To cause strong feeling or excitement in someone
57
4.1
Cause a feeling or strong reaction in people
48
4.8
To make people feel strong emotions like anger or fear
47
4.4
To cause strong feelings in someone
42
4.8
To make people feel strongly excited or upset
40
5.3
To get an answer or other reaction from someone by asking
36
6.9
To cause something bad to start
31
5.8
To make people's feelings stronger, especially anger or hate
26
6.9
To make a feeling or situation start
11
4.2
To cause trouble or a loud fuss
8
7.2
To make an argument or feeling worse by encouraging it
8
6.8
Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them
7
7.7
Make someone feel upset or defensive by mentioning a sensitive subject
7
4.9
Cause a feeling or reaction to appear in people
6
4.0
Make people feel excited or upset and attract attention
5
6.5
To cause a strong feeling or interest to begin
1
7.4
Make people more angry and cause conflict between groups
1
7.7
To make many people feel angry or shocked about something
1
9.2
To make someone feel a strong emotion
To make someone feel strong excitement or deep emotion
To make feelings like anger or excitement stronger
To make someone act because of a feeling or reason
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
provoke = pro + voke
Although historically analyzable as 'pro-' + root from Latin 'voc-', the components are not productive English morphemes and the meaning cannot be transparently derived by a typical learner.
Etymology
Provoke comes from Latin parts pro- 'forward' and vocare 'to call'. It is like 'calling forth' a feeling or action, so to provoke discussion or a change is to cause that response to happen.