Standard Lemma guide

evoke

verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • rhymes with -əʊk
  • UK: /ɪˈvəʊk/
  • US: /ɪˈvoʊk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 V OW1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: IY0 V OW1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To call out; to draw out or bring forth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To cause the manifestation of something (emotion, picture, etc.) in someone's mind or imagination.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Being here evokes long forgotten memories.
  • Seeing this happen equally evokes fear and anger in me.
  • The book evokes a detailed and lively picture of what life was like in the 19th century.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: invoke, excite, inspire, put someone in mind of, call up

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To elicit a response.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: instigate, provoke, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, bring about, cheer, draw, drive, encourage, egg on, engender, evoke, excite, foment, goad, grill, ignite, impel, incite, induce, inflame, invoke, lash, motive, motivate, move, obligate, oblige, push, promote, prompt, rouse, set off, spark off, spur, spur on, stimulate, stir, stir up, stoke, tempt, urge, whet, whip up

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

call to mind

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • this remark evoked sadness

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: suggest, paint a picture

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: express, show, evince

Narrower terms: smack, reek, smell, incriminate, imply, inculpate

5

verb

Meaning 5

summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • raise the specter of unemployment
  • he conjured wild birds in the air
  • call down the spirits from the mountain

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: raise, conjure, conjure up, invoke, stir, call down, arouse, bring up, put forward, call forth

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: make, create

Narrower terms: curse, beshrew, damn, bedamn, anathemize, anathemise, imprecate, maledict, bless

6

verb

Meaning 6

deduce (a principle) or construe (a meaning)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • We drew out some interesting linguistic data from the native informant

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: educe, elicit, extract, draw out

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: interpret, construe, see

7

verb

Meaning 7

evoke or provoke to appear or occur

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Her behavior provoked a quarrel between the couple

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: provoke, call forth, kick up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cause, do, make

Narrower terms: pick

8

verb

Meaning 8

call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • arouse pity
  • raise a smile
  • evoke sympathy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arouse, elicit, enkindle, kindle, fire, raise, provoke

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: make, create

Narrower terms: strike a chord, touch a chord, invite, ask for, draw, rekindle, infatuate, prick, inflame, stir up, wake, ignite, heat, fire up, stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir, anger, upset, discompose, untune, disconcert, discomfit, shame, hurt, wound, injure, bruise, offend, spite, overwhelm, overpower, sweep over, whelm, overcome, overtake, interest

History

Etymology

From French évoquer, from Latin ēvocō (“to call out, summon”), from ex (“out”) and vocō (“call”). Akin to voice.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: evokoj — to cause the manifestation of
  • Arabic: اِسْتَحْضَارَ (istaḥḍāra) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Arabic: اِسْتَدَعَى (istadaʕā) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Armenian: հարուցել (harucʻel) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Armenian: առաջացնել (aṙaǰacʻnel) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Bulgarian: предизви́квам (predizvíkvam) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Bulgarian: събуждам (sǎbuždam) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Catalan: evocar — to cause the manifestation of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喚起 /唤起 (huànqǐ) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Czech: vyvolat — to cause the manifestation of
  • Czech: vyvolávat — to cause the manifestation of
  • Czech: evokovat — to cause the manifestation of
  • Danish: fremmane — to cause the manifestation of
  • Danish: fremkalde — to cause the manifestation of
  • Danish: vække — to cause the manifestation of
  • Dutch: oproepen — to cause the manifestation of
  • Esperanto: elvoki — to cause the manifestation of
  • Finnish: herättää — to cause the manifestation of
  • Finnish: synnyttää — to cause the manifestation of
  • French: évoquer — to cause the manifestation of
  • French: remémorer — to cause the manifestation of
  • Galician: evocar — to cause the manifestation of
  • German: hervorrufen — to cause the manifestation of
  • German: heraufbeschwören — to cause the manifestation of
  • Hebrew: עורר — to cause the manifestation of
  • Hindi: आह्वान (āhvān) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Hungarian: felidéz — to cause the manifestation of
  • Interlingua: evocar — to cause the manifestation of
  • Interlingua: rememorar — to cause the manifestation of
  • Italian: rammemorare — to cause the manifestation of
  • Japanese: 喚起する (kanki-suru) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Latin: ēvōcō — to cause the manifestation of
  • Māori: pūkare — to cause the manifestation of
  • Norwegian: framkalle — to cause the manifestation of
  • Polish: wywoływać — to cause the manifestation of
  • Polish: wywołać — to cause the manifestation of
  • Polish: przywoływać — to cause the manifestation of
  • Polish: przywołać — to cause the manifestation of
  • Portuguese: evocar — to cause the manifestation of
  • Russian: вызыва́ть (vyzyvátʹ) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Russian: вы́звать (výzvatʹ) — to cause the manifestation of
  • Spanish: evocar — to cause the manifestation of
  • Spanish: rememorar — to cause the manifestation of
  • Swedish: frammana — to cause the manifestation of