invoke

American  

[in-vohk] / ɪnˈvoʊk /

verb (used with object)

invoked, invoking

1. to call for with earnest desire; make supplication or pray for.

   to invoke God's mercy.

2. to call on (a deity, Muse, etc.), as in prayer or supplication.

3. to declare to be binding or in effect.

   to invoke the law;

   to invoke a veto.

4. to appeal to, as for confirmation.

5. to petition or call on for help or aid.

6. to call forth or upon (a spirit) by incantation.

7. Computers. to cause to be displayed, opened, or executed by clicking on a link, entering a search term, changing a parameter, etc..

   Press and hold the R key to temporarily invoke the Rotate View tool, then drag your document to rotate.

8. to cause, call forth, or bring about.

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invoke British  

/ ɪnˈvəʊk /

verb

1. to call upon (an agent, esp God or another deity) for help, inspiration, etc

2. to put (a law, penalty, etc) into use

   the union invoked the dispute procedure

3. to appeal to (an outside agent or authority) for confirmation, corroboration, etc

4. to implore or beg (help, etc)

5. to summon (a spirit, demon, etc); conjure up

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Usage

What does invoke mean? Invoke means to intensely call for something or call on someone, especially as in a prayer to a god or higher power, as in The holy woman invoked God’s mercy in her prayers.  Invoke can also mean to call for help from someone (again, usually a god), as in The shamans invoked the gods to save them from the invading army. Invoke may also refer to stating that something is in effect, like a law or rule, as in The police invoked the new littering law when they fined Demetri for tossing his soda bottle on the ground. And invoke can mean to call or conjure a spirit or demon, as in The warlock invoked a group of infernal imps to do his evil bidding. Example: The ritual is meant to invoke the wrath of the gods and bring misfortune to the people’s enemies.

Other Word Forms

• invocable adjective
• invoker noun
• reinvoke verb (used with object)
• uninvocable adjective

Etymology

Origin of invoke

First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin invocāre, equivalent to in- in- ² + vocāre “to call,” akin to vōx voice

Example Sentences

Since becoming the party’s propaganda minister in 2022, Li has championed Xi’s program to invoke Chinese arts, traditions and history to justify Communist rule and boost Beijing’s soft power.

From The Wall Street Journal

Inappropriately invoking an overused parable might make Mr. Carney sound clever, but it shows a lack of deep thinking.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead, he has more generically invoked the example of former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, who in the mid-1990s held off on raising interest rates as the economy expanded steadily because inflation pressures were mild.

From The Wall Street Journal

The title invokes the container for holding scalding liquid metal.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tiger Global argued that its gains were shielded from Indian tax because the investment was held through entities in Mauritius, invoking a long-standing tax treaty between the two countries.

From BBC

Related Words

• apply
• enforce
• resort to