- 1provoke something to cause a particular reaction or have a particular effect The announcement provoked a storm of protest. The article was intended to provoke discussion. Dairy products may provoke allergic reactions in some people.
- 2provoke somebody (into something/into doing something) provoke somebody to do something to say or do something that you know will annoy someone so that they react in an angry way synonym goad The lawyer claimed his client was provoked into acts of violence by the defendant. Be careful what you say—he's easily provoked.
provoke
verbNAmE//prəˈvoʊk//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they provoke he / she / it provokes
past simple provoked
-ing form provoking
Check pronunciation: provoke