verb · 6 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
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South-Asia:/ɪnsajʈ/
homophone: insight
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N S AY1 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To call into action.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
The judge was told by the accused that his friends had incited him to commit the crime.
incite people to violence
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To entreat an act.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To instigate a specific incident.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
provoke or stir up
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
incite a riot
set off great unrest among the people
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: instigate, set off, stir up
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: provoke, stimulate
Narrower terms: raise
5
verb
Meaning 5
urge on; cause to act
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The other children egged the boy on, but he did not want to throw the stone through the window
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: prod, egg on
Antonyms: none provided
Narrower terms: goose, halloo, goad
6
verb
Meaning 6
give an incentive for action
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
This moved me to sacrifice my career
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: motivate, actuate, propel, move, prompt
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cause, do, make
History
Etymology
From Middle French inciter, from Latin incitō (“to set in motion, hasten, urge, incite”), from in (“in, on”) + citō (“to set in motion, urge”), frequentative of cieō (“to rouse, excite, call”).
Across languages
Translations
90 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
zi
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Albanian:
valo
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Arabic:
حَرَّضَ
(ḥarraḍa)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Arabic:
حَضَّ
(ḥaḍḍa)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Armenian:
դրդել
(drdel)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Bulgarian:
подбуждам
(podbuždam)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Bulgarian:
стимулирам
(stimuliram)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Catalan:
incitar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Chechen:
оьйхаз ваккха
(öjxaz vaqqa)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Chinese Mandarin:
煽起
(shānqǐ)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Czech:
podněcovat
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Czech:
navádět
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Czech:
nabádat
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Dutch:
aanzetten
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Dutch:
ophitsen
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Esperanto:
inciti
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Finnish:
yllyttää
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Finnish:
kiihottaa
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Finnish:
kannustaa
— to rouse, stir up or excite
French:
inciter
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
incinir
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
imbelicar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
bezar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
demerxer
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
enfoutar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
encirrar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
apurrar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
enxibar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
estrizar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
isar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
istar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
enridar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
atouzar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Galician:
envizcar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
German:
anstacheln
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Ancient Greek:
ἐρεθίζω
(erethízō)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Ancient Greek:
ὄρνυμι
(órnumi)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Hebrew:
שלהב
(shilhév)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Hebrew:
שיסה
(shisá)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Hindi:
भड़काना
(bhaṛkānā)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Hindi:
उकसाना
(uksānā)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Hungarian:
felbujt
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Hungarian:
uszít
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Hungarian:
ösztönöz
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Hungarian:
buzdít
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Irish:
spreag
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Irish:
fadaigh
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Irish:
dreasaigh
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Japanese:
扇ぐ
(aogu)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Japanese:
嗾ける
(keshikakeru)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Kapampangan:
sulsul
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Latin:
incitō
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Māori:
whakakā
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Māori:
akiaki
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Māori:
ueue
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Māori:
whakatari
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Māori:
whakakoikoi
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Occitan:
incitar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Old English:
bǣdan
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Persian:
انگیزاندن
(angizândan)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Persian:
شوراندن
(šurândan)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Polish:
podżegać
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Polish:
podżegnąć
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Polish:
wichrzyć
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Polish:
zwichrzyć
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Portuguese:
incitar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Portuguese:
provocar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Quechua:
hatarichiy
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Romanian:
incita
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Romanian:
ațâța
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Romanian:
stârni
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Russian:
подстрека́ть
(podstrekátʹ)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Russian:
подбива́ть
(podbivátʹ)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Russian:
разжига́ть
(razžigátʹ)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Sanskrit:
चोदति
(codati)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Spanish:
incitar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Spanish:
concitar
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Tagalog:
sulsol
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Thai:
ปลุกระดม
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Thai:
ปลุก
(bplùk)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Thai:
ยุยง
(yú-yong)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Thai:
ยั่วยุ
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Turkish:
kışkırtmak
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Ottoman Turkish:
دورتمك
(dürtmek)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Ottoman Turkish:
كوروكلمك
(körüklemek)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Ukrainian:
підбу́рювати
(pidbúrjuvaty)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Ukrainian:
підбу́рити
(pidbúryty)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Urdu:
بھڑَکانا
(bhaṛkānā)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Urdu:
اکسانا
(uksānā)
— to rouse, stir up or excite
Vietnamese:
kích động
— to rouse, stir up or excite