Standard Lemma guide

provoke

verb · 7 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.

  • UK: /pɹəˈvəʊk/
  • Canada, US: /pɹəˈvoʊk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /pɹəˈvəʉk/
  • rhymes with -əʊk
  • CMU ARPABET: P R AH0 V OW1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Don't provoke the dog; it may try to bite you.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: harass, set off, vex, aggravate, annoy, nettle, rankle, ruffle, sting, antagonize, bother, disgruntle, botherate, bug, get, grate, burn up, bedevil, cheese off, devil, exasperate, frustrate, get up, grotch, hack off, hassle, irk, irritate, jazz, molest, mommick, nark, nerve, pee off, peeve, peeve off, persecute, pique, piss off, provoke, rile, rile up, roil, storm, test someone's patience, tick off, trouble, try one's patience, wind up, Idioms:, boil someone's piss, chap someone's hide, get on someone's nerves, get on someone's tits, get on someone's wick, get someone's back up, get someone's dander up, get someone's goat, get someone's Irish up, get someone's nanny, get someone's nanny-goat, get under one's goat, get under someone's skin, give someone the shits, grind one's gears, harsh one's mellow, put someone's back up, raise someone's hackles, rub someone the wrong way, rub up the wrong way, ruffle someone's feathers, tee off, torque off, affront, anger, awrath, cross, embitter, envenom, gall, get to, honk off, incense, inflame, infuriate, madden, make angry, offend, outrage, put out, steam, get one's back up, make someone see red, make someone's blood boil, raise someone's shag, rattle someone's cage, rub the wrong way, ruffle some feathers, set up someone's birse

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To bring about a reaction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: incite, inflame, instigate, whip up, 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, induce, invoke, lash, motive, motivate, move, obligate, oblige, push, promote, prompt, provoke, rouse, set off, spark off, spur, spur on, stimulate, stir, stir up, stoke, tempt, urge, whet

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To appeal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

provide the needed stimulus for

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stimulate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: challenge

Narrower terms: entice, lure, tempt, rejuvenate, jog, incite, instigate, set off, stir up, agitate, foment

5

verb

Meaning 5

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: evoke, call forth, kick up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cause, do, make

Narrower terms: pick

6

verb

Meaning 6

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, evoke, fire, raise

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

7

verb

Meaning 7

annoy continually or chronically

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked
  • This man harasses his female co-workers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: harass, hassle, harry, chivy, chivvy, chevy, chevvy, beset, plague, molest

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: annoy, rag, get to, bother, get at, irritate, rile, nark, nettle, gravel, vex, chafe, devil

Narrower terms: needle, goad, torment, rag, bedevil, crucify, dun, frustrate, haze

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French provoquer, from Old French, from Latin prōvocāre. Doublet of provocate.

Across languages

Translations

94 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: اِسْتَفَزَّ (istafazza) — to cause to become angry
  • Bulgarian: провокирам (provokiram) — to cause to become angry
  • Catalan: provocar — to cause to become angry
  • Chinese Mandarin: 挑釁 /挑衅 (tiǎoxìn) — to cause to become angry
  • Chinese Mandarin: 扇動 /扇动 (shāndòng) — to cause to become angry
  • Chinese Mandarin: 激怒 (jīnù) — to cause to become angry
  • Chinese Mandarin: 激起 (jīqǐ) — to cause to become angry
  • Chinese Mandarin: 刺激 (cìjī) — to cause to become angry
  • Czech: dráždit — to cause to become angry
  • Danish: provokere — to cause to become angry
  • Dutch: uitlokken — to cause to become angry
  • Esperanto: provoki — to cause to become angry
  • Finnish: suututtaa — to cause to become angry
  • Finnish: provosoida — to cause to become angry
  • French: provoquer — to cause to become angry
  • Georgian: პროვოცირებას (ṗrovocirebas) — to cause to become angry
  • German: provozieren — to cause to become angry
  • German: aufreizen — to cause to become angry
  • German: aufwühlen — to cause to become angry
  • German: aufhetzen — to cause to become angry
  • German: aufpeitschen — to cause to become angry
  • German: aufstacheln — to cause to become angry
  • Greek: εξοργίζω (exorgízo) — to cause to become angry
  • Greek: εξάπτω (exápto) — to cause to become angry
  • Ancient Greek: ἐρεθίζω (erethízō) — to cause to become angry
  • Hebrew: הִתְגָּרָה — to cause to become angry
  • Hindi: उकसाना (uksānā) — to cause to become angry
  • Hindi: भड़काना (bhaṛkānā) — to cause to become angry
  • Hungarian: provokál — to cause to become angry
  • Icelandic: ergja — to cause to become angry
  • Icelandic: skaprauna — to cause to become angry
  • Italian: provocare — to cause to become angry
  • Japanese: 怒らせる (ikaraseru) — to cause to become angry
  • Japanese: 立腹させる (rippaku-saseru) — to cause to become angry
  • Japanese: 憤慨させる (fungai-saseru) — to cause to become angry
  • Khmer: បង្ក (bɑɑbɑngkɑɑ) — to cause to become angry
  • Latin: lacessō — to cause to become angry
  • Latin: prōvocō — to cause to become angry
  • Latvian: provocēt — to cause to become angry
  • Lithuanian: kurstyti — to cause to become angry
  • Māori: raparapa — to cause to become angry
  • Māori: makitohene — to cause to become angry
  • Māori: māreherehe — to cause to become angry
  • Māori: whakatenetene — to cause to become angry
  • Māori: whakapātaritari — to cause to become angry
  • Māori: mukākā — to cause to become angry
  • Māori: kōtara — to cause to become angry
  • Middle English: forthcallen — to cause to become angry
  • Norwegian: provosere — to cause to become angry
  • Persian: افژولیدن (afžulidan) — to cause to become angry
  • Polish: prowokować — to cause to become angry
  • Polish: sprowokować — to cause to become angry
  • Polish: podjudzać — to cause to become angry
  • Polish: drażnić — to cause to become angry
  • Portuguese: provocar — to cause to become angry
  • Portuguese: irritar — to cause to become angry
  • Russian: провоци́ровать (provocírovatʹ) — to cause to become angry
  • Russian: спровоци́ровать (sprovocírovatʹ) — to cause to become angry
  • Russian: серди́ть (serdítʹ) — to cause to become angry
  • Russian: рассерди́ть (rasserdítʹ) — to cause to become angry
  • Spanish: provocar — to cause to become angry
  • Swedish: provocera — to cause to become angry
  • Tagalog: mang-udyok — to cause to become angry
  • Tuvaluan: fakaoso — to cause to become angry
  • Ukrainian: провокува́ти (provokuváty) — to cause to become angry
  • Ukrainian: спровокува́ти (sprovokuváty) — to cause to become angry
  • Urdu: مشتعل (muštaēl) — to cause to become angry
  • Bulgarian: предизвиквам (predizvikvam) — to bring about a reaction
  • Esperanto: provoki — to bring about a reaction
  • Finnish: provosoida — to bring about a reaction
  • German: hervorrufen — to bring about a reaction
  • German: hervorbringen — to bring about a reaction
  • German: zeitigen — to bring about a reaction
  • German: anerzeugen — to bring about a reaction
  • German: anerschaffen — to bring about a reaction
  • Hebrew: גִּרָה (girá) — to bring about a reaction
  • Hindi: उकसाना (uksānā) — to bring about a reaction
  • Hindi: भड़काना (bhaṛkānā) — to bring about a reaction
  • Italian: generare — to bring about a reaction
  • Latvian: provocēt — to bring about a reaction
  • Māori: whakakārangirangi — to bring about a reaction
  • Māori: pātaritari — to bring about a reaction
  • Māori: taunanawe — to bring about a reaction
  • Māori: whakapātaritari — to bring about a reaction
  • Māori: whakatari — to bring about a reaction
  • Māori: whakataritari — to bring about a reaction
  • Māori: makitohene — to bring about a reaction
  • Māori: mukākā — to bring about a reaction
  • Portuguese: provocar — to bring about a reaction
  • Spanish: provocar — to bring about a reaction
  • Ukrainian: провокува́ти (provokuváty) — to bring about a reaction
  • Ukrainian: спровокува́ти (sprovokuváty) — to bring about a reaction
  • Urdu: مشتعل کرنا (muštaēl kerna) — to bring about a reaction
  • Urdu: مشتعل (muštaēl) — to bring about a reaction
Real reading context

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