provoke
English · Thesaurus
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provoke
- /pɹəˈvəʊk/ UK
- /pɹəˈvoʊk/ Canada, US
- [pɹəˈvɛʊk]
- /pɹəˈvəʉk/ Australia
- /pɹəˈvɐʉk/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -əʊk
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French provoquer, from Old French, from Latin prōvocāre. Doublet of provocate.
verb provokes · provoking · provoked
-
To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.
Don't provoke the dog; it may try to bite you.
Similar: harass, set off, vex, aggravate, annoy, nettle, rankle, ruffle, sting, burn someone's ass, antagonize, bother
-
To bring about a reaction.
To the poet the meaning is what he pleases to make it, what it provokes in his own soul.
Similar: incite, inflame, instigate, whip up, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, bring about
- To appeal. Even Arius and Pelagius durst provoke To what the centuries preceding spoke.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: harass, molest, hassle, arouse, stimulate, chivvy, harry, chevy, elicit, evoke, call forth, raise, beset, enkindle, kindle, kick up
Translations
Every language
verb to cause to become angry
| Español | provocar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 怒らせる ikaraseru, 立腹させる rippaku-saseru, 憤慨させる fungai-saseru |
| 中文 | 挑釁 /挑衅 tiǎoxìn, 扇動 /扇动 shāndòng, 激怒 jīnù, 激起 jīqǐ, 刺激 cìjī |
| हिन्दी | उकसाना uksānā, भड़काना bhaṛkānā |
| Português | provocar, irritar |
| Français | provoquer |
| Deutsch | provozieren, aufreizen, aufwühlen, aufhetzen, aufpeitschen, aufstacheln |
| Italiano | provocare |
| Ελληνικά | εξοργίζω exorgízo, εξάπτω exápto |
| Русский | провоци́ровать provocírovatʹ, спровоци́ровать sprovocírovatʹ, серди́ть serdítʹ, рассерди́ть rasserdítʹ |
| العربية | اِسْتَفَزَّ istafazza |
| עברית | הִתְגָּרָה |
verb to bring about a reaction
| Español | provocar |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | उकसाना uksānā, भड़काना bhaṛkānā |
| Português | provocar |
| Deutsch | hervorrufen, hervorbringen, zeitigen, anerzeugen, anerschaffen |
| Italiano | generare |
| עברית | גִּרָה girá |
Talk about this word "provoke." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/provoke. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. provoke. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/provoke "provoke." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/provoke.Cite this
@misc{provoke_2026,
title = {provoke},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/provoke},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
