provoke

CEFRB2

/pɹəˈvəʊk/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To cause a reaction, especially anger or strong interest.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To appeal.

Examples

  • The cat will scratch you if you provoke it.

  • It would provoke a saint.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /pɹəˈvoʊk/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To bring about a reaction.

  2. To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.

More examples

In context

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

  • Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.

  • Even Arius and Pelagius durst provoke To what the centuries preceding spoke.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

He knew that asking about her past would blank a strong emotional reaction from her.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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