Explore Provoke through 10+ example sentences from English, with an explanation of the meaning and related words like evoke or make. Ideal for language learners, writers and word enthusiasts.
Provoke meaning
- To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.
- To bring about a reaction.
- To appeal.
Synonyms of Provoke
Using Provoke
- The main meaning on this page is: To cause someone to become annoyed or angry. | To bring about a reaction. | To appeal.
- Useful related words include: evoke, make, stimulate, do.
- In the example corpus, provoke often appears in combinations such as: to provoke, provoke the, could provoke.
Context around Provoke
- Average sentence length in these examples: 27.5 words
- Position in the sentence: 6 start, 8 middle, 6 end
- Sentence types: 19 statements, 1 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Provoke
- In this selection, "provoke" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 27.5 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, president, likely, china, breach and violence stand out and add context to how "provoke" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include ability to provoke emotions and also to provoke a visceral. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "provoke" sits close to words such as abdominal, atkinson and bedford, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with provoke
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
It is not wise to provoke us or raise our sleeping sword. (12 words)
Few endangered animals, if any, provoke such a wide array of responses throughout the country. (15 words)
Daniel DePetris: Will Kevin McCarthy’s meeting with Taiwan’s president provoke more conflict with China? (16 words)
Moreover, Dali was a highly skilled and innovative artist who was always seeking new ways to push artistic boundaries, and he may have been trying to create a sense of mystery and intrigue and to provoke deeper thought and reflection among his viewers. (43 words)
Halting the fuel supply to Turkey would likely provoke a negative reaction from an important country that is the only gateway for Russian commodities coming from its interior waterways, the Caspian and Black Seas, to leave through the Bosporus Strait. (40 words)
Similarly, when the Palestinians falsely claimed that a massacre had taken place in Jenin, this was intended to not only besmirch the Jewish state but also to provoke a visceral emotional reaction against Israel and in support of the Palestinians. (40 words)
Daniel DePetris: Will Kevin McCarthy’s meeting with Taiwan’s president provoke more conflict with China? (16 words)
Example sentences (20)
A 176-page report published by a collective of citizens and lawyers brings to the fore how organisers of religious processions pick certain communally sensitive routes to provoke violence.
Daniel DePetris: Will Kevin McCarthy’s meeting with Taiwan’s president provoke more conflict with China?
Few endangered animals, if any, provoke such a wide array of responses throughout the country.
Halting the fuel supply to Turkey would likely provoke a negative reaction from an important country that is the only gateway for Russian commodities coming from its interior waterways, the Caspian and Black Seas, to leave through the Bosporus Strait.
Hamas officials all but acknowledge the strategy, saying they launched the Oct. 7 attack to provoke a major military response by Israel they expected would produce civilian casualties.
He did not provoke them in any way, just that he could not help them with the direction they were looking for which is not an offence in any way.
He perhaps wanted to provoke or tease the Treasury Benches as he added he had only placed the truth before the House back then and they could relax this time around.
It is not wise to provoke us or raise our sleeping sword.
Mander filed a complaint with the police alleging that the remarks made by the unknown swami in his speech were prima facie designed to provoke riots, promote enmity and ill-will between communities and were prejudicial to national integration.
Moreover, Dali was a highly skilled and innovative artist who was always seeking new ways to push artistic boundaries, and he may have been trying to create a sense of mystery and intrigue and to provoke deeper thought and reflection among his viewers.
One of the excuses for not shooting the damn thing down is that it might provoke China.
One US official told the that they were concerned about at what point US military support for Taiwan could provoke China.
Police have charged him with sections including intentional insult to provoke breach of peace, promoting enmity, as well as publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form under the Information Technology Act 2000.
She has established a position for herself in the dynamic world of online artwork with her ability to provoke emotions.
Similarly, when the Palestinians falsely claimed that a massacre had taken place in Jenin, this was intended to not only besmirch the Jewish state but also to provoke a visceral emotional reaction against Israel and in support of the Palestinians.
Some displays will provoke more response than others, but the totality of the collection compels you to consider the inhumanity of any genocide, anywhere, anytime.
The claims are likely to provoke a diplomatic storm between London and New Delhi at a time when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – himself a practising Hindu - is trying to seal a lucrative post-Brexit trade deal with India.
The ministry also urged protesters to respect restrictions and not to provoke clashes with security forces.
The move would provoke allegations that the Government is targeting some of the most vulnerable during a cost-of-living crisis in order to cut taxes before the General Election.
The police registered a case under Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace).
Common combinations with provoke
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:
- to provoke 100×
- provoke the 14×
- could provoke 13×
- and provoke 12×
- provoke an 10×
- would provoke 9×
- will provoke 9×
- not provoke 7×
- or provoke 7×
- provoke violence 6×