verb
provoke
pruh-VOHK
verb
1
To deliberately anger or irritate someone.
"Don't provoke the dog by pulling its tail."
"His sarcastic comments were clearly meant to provoke her."
2
To cause or bring about a particular reaction or response.
"The announcement provoked widespread criticism online."
How to Use Provoke
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo deliberately trigger anger, or more generally to cause any strong reaction.
Common pairings
provoke a reaction
provoke anger
provoke criticism
Word Forms
provoked past tense, provokes singular
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Don't _____ the dog by pulling its tail.
Etymology
From Old French provoquer, from Latin provocare, "to call forth" — from pro- ("forth") plus vocare ("to call").