invoke
English · Thesaurus
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invoke
- /ɪnˈvoʊk/ US
- /ɪnˈvəʊk/ UK
Where it comes from
From Middle English *invoken, envoken, borrowed from Old French envoquer, from Latin invocāre (“to call upon”), itself from in- + vocare (“to call”). Doublet of invocate.
verb invokes · invoking · invoked · envoke
-
To call upon (a person, a god) for help, assistance or guidance.
Similar: invocate
- To solicit, petition for, appeal to a favorable attitude. The envoy invoked the King of Kings's magnanimity to reduce his province's tribute after another drought.
-
To call another ship.
Similar: signal
-
To call to mind (something) for some purpose.
After marriage, the man had anciently (but this was anterior to Christianity) the power of life and death over his wife. She could invoke no law against him; he was her sole tribunal and law.
Similar: evoke, bring to mind, call to mind, enmind
- To appeal for validation to a (notably cited) authority. In certain Christian circles, invoking the Bible constitutes irrefutable proof.
-
To conjure up with incantations.
This satanist ritual invokes Beelzebub.
Similar: summon
-
To bring about as an inevitable consequence.
Blasphemy is taboo as it may invoke divine wrath.
Similar: bring about, incite, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, cheer, draw, drive
- To cause (a program or subroutine) to execute. Interactive programs let the users enter choices and invoke the corresponding routines.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: call forth, put forward, call down, appeal, raise, conjure, conjure up, bring up, arouse, stir, evoke, adduce, enable, allege, demand, initiate
Translations
Every language
verb call upon someone for help etc.
| Português | invocar |
|---|---|
| Français | invoquer |
| Deutsch | anrufen |
| Italiano | chiedere |
| Русский | взывать vzyvatʹ |
| العربية | دَعَا daʕā |
verb solicit, petition for
| Français | invoquer |
|---|---|
| Italiano | appellarsi |
| Русский | призыва́ть prizyvátʹ |
verb appeal for validation to a (notably cited) authority
| Français | invoquer |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | sich berühmen |
| Italiano | invocare |
| Ελληνικά | επικαλούμαι epikaloúmai |
| Русский | апеллировать apellirovatʹ |
verb conjure up by incantation
| Español | invocar |
|---|---|
| Русский | призыва́ть prizyvátʹ |
verb bring about as an inevitable consequence
| Русский | вы́звать výzvatʹ |
|---|
verb (computing) cause to execute
| 中文 | 調動 /调动 diàodòng |
|---|---|
| Italiano | invocare, richiedere, richiamare |
| Русский | вызыва́ть vyzyvátʹ |
Talk about this word "invoke." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/invoke. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. invoke. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/invoke "invoke." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/invoke.Cite this
@misc{invoke_2026,
title = {invoke},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/invoke},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
