Synonyms

provoke

American

[pruh-vohk] / prəˈvoʊk /

verb (used with object)

provoked, provoking

to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex.

Synonyms:

infuriate, exacerbate, aggravate, annoy, irk
to stir up, arouse, or call forth (feelings, desires, or activity).

The mishap provoked a hearty laugh.

Synonyms:

instigate, rouse
to incite or stimulate (a person, animal, etc.) to action.
to give rise to, induce, or bring about.

What could have provoked such an incident?
Obsolete. to summon.

provoke British

/ prəˈvəʊk /

verb

to anger or infuriate
to cause to act or behave in a certain manner; incite or stimulate
to promote (certain feelings, esp anger, indignation, etc) in a person
obsolete to summon

"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

Related Words

See irritate. See incite.

Other Word Forms

misprovoke verb (used with object)
overprovoke verb
preprovoke verb (used with object)
provoker noun
provoking adjective
provokingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of provoke

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prōvocāre “to call forth, challenge, provoke,” equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + vocāre “to call”; akin to vōx voice

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