invoke
Americanverb (used with object)
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invokes,
present (3rd person singular)
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invoked,
past participle, past
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invoking
present participle
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to call for with earnest desire; make supplication or pray for.
to invoke God's mercy.
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to call on (a deity, Muse, etc.), as in prayer or supplication.
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to declare to be binding or in effect.
to invoke the law;
to invoke a veto.
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to appeal to, as for confirmation.
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to petition or call on for help or aid.
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to call forth or upon (a spirit) by incantation.
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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.
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to cause, call forth, or bring about.
verb
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to call upon (an agent, esp God or another deity) for help, inspiration, etc
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to put (a law, penalty, etc) into use
the union invoked the dispute procedure
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to appeal to (an outside agent or authority) for confirmation, corroboration, etc
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to implore or beg (help, etc)
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to summon (a spirit, demon, etc); conjure up
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
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invokesimple
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invokessimple
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have invokedperfect
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has invokedperfect
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am invokingprogressive
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are invokingprogressive
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is invokingprogressive
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have been invokingperfect progressive
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has been invokingperfect progressive
Past
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invokedsimple
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had invokedperfect
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was invokingprogressive
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were invokingprogressive
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had been invokingperfect progressive
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.
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:
It’s hard to find any modern examples of the corporate death penalty, but that doesn’t mean critics of abusive business haven’t attempted to invoke it.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
When we tell ourselves stories about warrior elites—and invoke their iconography to inspire and galvanize—we often dismiss and ignore their victims as inconvenient or annoying footnotes.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
Porter’s death has become a rallying point for Los Angeles activists, who regularly invoke his name at Police Commission meetings and protests.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
The State decided to invoke an unprecedented theory of “transferred intent” to make the crime eligible for the death penalty.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
He then invokes the term at least a dozen times before defining it—belief “in a Spiritual Law that exists apart from the physical world”—26 pages later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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
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
Second, the DOJ invokes the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and its requirement that all states must maintain a computerized, statewide voter registration list.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 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
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
At a civil deposition in 2022, he invoked the Fifth more than 440 times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
In the two decades since, Purcell has become one of election law’s most invoked doctrines.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Now none remain, all having invoked commandment number seven.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
That seems like a decent rationale for invoking the corporate death penalty.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
He told the panel he was invoking the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution under the advice of his attorneys.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
From there, he was quiet, invoking the Fifth Amendment in response to literally any question he faced.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
You’re a guy who loves Sepultura,’” Ian told him, invoking a musical link for the composer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
By invoking a state of emergency, Hitler was able to suspend Germany's constitution.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
