Meaning
Provoke means to cause a reaction, often deliberately. It can refer to making someone feel angry, irritated, or emotional, or to stimulate a thought or action.
Grammar and Usage
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Part of speech: Verb (transitive)
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Patterns:
- provoke + object (provoke anger, provoke a reaction)
- provoke + someone + into + doing something (provoke her into replying)
It is usually used in a negative or strong emotional context, but can also be neutral (e.g., provoke interest).
Common Phrases
- provoke anger
- provoke a reaction
- provoke violence
- provoke laughter
- provoke thought
Collocations
- Verb + provoke: try to provoke, deliberately provoke
- Noun + provoke: provoke an argument, provoke criticism
- Adjective + provoke: highly provocative, deliberately provocative
Examples
- His rude comments provoked anger among the audience.
- The teacher’s question provoked deep thought.
- She tried to ignore him, but he kept provoking her with sarcastic remarks.
- The new policy provoked protests from the workers.
- That movie scene was meant to provoke laughter.
- His reckless behavior almost provoked a fight.
- The controversial statement provoked criticism from the media.
- The article was designed to provoke discussion.
Synonyms or Related
- incite
- irritate
- enrage
- trigger
- spark
- stir up
