Synonyms

invoke

American

[in-vohk] / ɪnˈvoʊk /

verb (used with object)

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

to invoke God's mercy.
to call on (a deity, Muse, etc.), as in prayer or supplication.
to declare to be binding or in effect.

to invoke the law;
to invoke a veto.
to appeal to, as for confirmation.
to petition or call on for help or aid.
to call forth or upon (a spirit) by incantation.
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.
to cause, call forth, or bring about.

invoke British

/ ɪnˈvəʊk /

verb

to call upon (an agent, esp God or another deity) for help, inspiration, etc
to put (a law, penalty, etc) into use

the union invoked the dispute procedure
to appeal to (an outside agent or authority) for confirmation, corroboration, etc
to implore or beg (help, etc)
to summon (a spirit, demon, etc); conjure up

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of invoke

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

Explanation

To invoke is to call up something such as a law, a higher power, or even a ghost. In court, you might invoke the Fifth Amendment (the right not to say something that will make you look bad) if you don't want to talk. You can invoke all kinds of people or ideas, alive or dead: "She invokes the spirit of good writing when she proofreads her work." In a time of need, you might invoke a higher power. You could invoke Martin Luther King when talking about equal rights. You might even invoke the spirit of your dead cat at a séance. Just make sure you don't evoke (to bring on a strong emotional reaction) your dead cat; that would just be weird.

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Vocabulary lists containing invoke

Latin Love, Vol I: vocare

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"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 1 of the epic poem

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Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address (1865)

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

invoke invokes invoked invoking

“Renting forever doesn’t invoke a lot of confidence in our future finances,” Mortensen said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

In areas such as climate science, pandemics, artificial intelligence or medical research, public conversations frequently invoke scientific consensus.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

Citing Paul's "obsession" with him, Fauci said he would invoke the Fifth Amendment, refraining from answering questions to avoid self-incrimination, adding that it "pains me to do so."

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

It did not explicitly invoke the unitary executive theory, but its fealty to the doctrine was clear.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026

The first is the law of large numbers, one of the most significant though often misunderstood theorems in probability theory, and one which people sometimes invoke to justify all sorts of bizarre conclusions.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

"Nicaragua invokes Germany's responsibility in connection to multiple violations of international law, particularly in respect of the odious scourge of genocide and international humanitarian law," ambassador Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez told the court.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

The very history he so powerfully invokes to explain the 14th Amendment’s origins often becomes, in his jurisprudence, a reason to limit rather than enlarge its reach.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

There’s a lapidary quality to Mr. Pence’s manifesto, and it’s worth noting that he invokes Isaiah: “look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

The Philippines invokes its geographical proximity to the Spratly Islands as the main basis of its claim for part of the grouping.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

Still a third type of answer to Yali invokes the supposed importance of lowland river valleys in dry climates, where highly productive agriculture depended on large-scale irrigation systems that in turn required centralized bureaucracies.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Manley invoked his own history as a Senate staffer as evidence.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

But the meaning and power of this particular clause has long been debated and seldom invoked.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Twisha's family lawyer Ankur Pandey told BBC Hindi that since the CBI has invoked sections related to abetment to suicide, "it means that the investigation has considered the death to be an alleged suicide".

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Calling it a “broad inquiry,” Uthmeier said it was too early to pinpoint what specific action might result but said Florida law on deceptive trade practices, fraud or public nuisances could be invoked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Today Zeitgeist, as the glue that holds period' styles together and accounts for their inner unity, is rarely invoked.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Both stressed the importance of dialogue, with Xi invoking the concept of the Thucydides trap, a historical paradigm that holds that rising powers inevitably clash with established ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

But that deference cannot come simply from invoking the words national security.

From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026

The eccentric executive cast his criticism as friendly, invoking the French proverb "qui aime bien chatie bien" -- spare the rod, spoil the child.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

In July, invoking the never-before-used Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, it said it would impose new tariffs on a range of Canadian goods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Barred by law from invoking race explicitly, those committed to racial hierarchy were forced to search for new means of achieving their goals according to the new rules of American democracy.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023