Provoke

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: pro=voke

CIDE DICTIONARY

Provoke, v. t. [F. provoquer, L. provocare to call forth; pro forth + vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice, cry, call. See Voice.].

 To call forth; to call into being or action; esp., to incense to action, a faculty or passion, as love, hate, or ambition; hence, commonly, to incite, as a person, to action by a challenge, by taunts, or by defiance; to exasperate; to irritate; to offend intolerably; to cause to retaliate.  [1913 Webster]
"Obey his voice, provoke him not."  [1913 Webster]
"Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath."  [1913 Webster]
"Such acts
Of contumacy will provoke the Highest
To make death in us live."  [1913 Webster]
"Can honor's voice provoke the silent dust?"  [1913 Webster]
"To the poet the meaning is what he pleases to make it, what it provokes in his own soul."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To irritate; arouse; stir up; awake; excite; incite; anger. See Irritate.

Provoke, v. i. 

 To cause provocation or anger.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Provoke, v.tr.
1 a (often foll. by to, or to + infin.) rouse or incite (provoked him to fury). b (as provoking adj.) exasperating; irritating.
2 call forth; instigate (indignation, an inquiry, a storm, etc.).
3 (usu. foll. by into + verbal noun) irritate or stimulate (a person) (the itch provoked him into scratching).
4 tempt; allure.
5 cause, give rise to (will provoke fermentation).

Derivative

provokable adj. provokingly adv.

Etymology

ME f. OF provoquer f. L provocare (as PRO-(1), vocare call)

THESAURUS

Provoke

abet, abrade, activate, affect the interest, affront, agent provocateur, aggravate, agitate, alienate, amplify, anger, animate, annoy, answer back, antagonize, arouse, attract, augment, awaken, badger, bait, be at, bedevil, beset, bestir, blow the coals, bother, breed, bring, bring about, bring on, bristle, brown off, bug, build up, bullyrag, burn up, call forth, call up, cause, chafe, challenge, chivy, come between, compel, concern, contrive, deepen, deteriorate, devil, disaffect, discompose, distemper, distress, disturb, disunite, divide, dog, draw down, draw on, drive, effect, egg on, electrify, elicit, embitter, encourage, engender, enhance, enlarge, enliven, enrage, enthuse, envenom, estrange, evoke, exacerbate, exalt, exasperate, excite, excite interest, exercise, exhilarate, fan, fan the flame, fascinate, fash, feed the fire, ferment, fillip, fire, foment, force, fret, frustrate, gall, galvanize, get, get up, goad, grate, grate on, gravel, gripe, grit, harass, harry, hatch, heat, heat up, heckle, hector, heighten, hot up, hound, huff, impassion, impel, incense, incite, increase, induce, inflame, inform, infuriate, infuse life into, inspire, instigate, insult, intensify, interest, invigorate, invite, involve in, irk, irritate, jazz up, kindle, lead, light the fuse, lip, madden, magnify, make acute, make trouble, make worse, miff, molest, motivate, move, muster up, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, obtain, occasion, offend, outrage, peeve, persecute, perturb, pester, pick on, pick up, pique, pit against, plague, pluck the beard, pother, prime, procure, produce, promote, prompt, push, put out, put up to, quicken, raise, rally, rankle, rasp, renew, resuscitate, revive, ride, rile, roil, rouse, ruffle, sass, sauce, separate, set, set against, set at odds, set at variance, set on, set on edge, set up, sharpen, sic on, sour, sow dissension, spur on, start, stimulate, stir, stir the blood, stir the embers, stir up, stir up trouble, summon up, superinduce, talk back, tantalize, tease, thrill, tickle, titillate, titivate, torment, trouble, try the patience, tweak the nose, upset, vex, wake, waken, whet, whip up, work up, worry, worsen

ROGET THESAURUS

Provoke

Motive

VB induce, move, draw, draw on, bring in its train, give an impulse, to, inspire, put up to, prompt, call up, attract, beckon, stimulate, spirit up, inspirit, rouse, arouse, animate, incite, foment, provoke, instigate, set on, actuate, act upon, work upon, operate upon, encourage, pat on the back, pat on the shoulder, clap on the back, clap on the shoulder, influence, weigh with, bias, sway, incline, dispose, predispose, turn the scale, inoculate, lead by the nose, have influence with, have influence over, have influence upon, exercise influence with, exercise influence over, exercise influence upon, go round, come round one, turn the head, magnetize, lobby, persuade, prevail with, prevail upon, overcome, carry, bring round to one's senses, bring to one's senses, draw over, win over, gain over, come over, talk over, procure, enlist, engage, invite, court, tempt, seduce, overpersuade, entice, allure, captivate, fascinate, bewitch, carry away, charm, conciliate, wheedle, coax, lure, inveigle, tantalize, cajole, tamper with, bribe, suborn, grease the palm, bait with a silver hook, gild the pill, make things pleasant, put a sop into the pan, throw a sop to, bait the hook, enforce, force, impel, propel, whip, lash, goad, spur, prick, urge, egg on, hound, hurry on, drag, exhort, advise, call upon, press, advocate, set an example, set the fashion, keep in countenance, be persuaded, yield to temptation, come round, concede, obey a call, follow advice, follow the bent, follow the dictates of, act on principle.

Cause

VB be the cause of, originate, give origin to, give rise, to, give occasion to, cause, occasion, sow the seeds of, kindle, suscitate, bring on, bring to bring pass, bring about, produce, create, set up, set afloat, set on foot, found, broach, institute, lay the foundation of, lie at the root of, procure, induce, draw down, open the door to, superinduce, evoke, entail, operate, elicit, provoke, conduce to, contribute, have a hand in the pie, have a finger in the pie, determine, decide, turn the scale, have a common origin, derive its origin.

Excitation

VB excite, affect, touch, move, impress, strike, interest, animate, inspire, impassion, smite, infect, stir the blood, fire the blood, warm the blood, set astir, wake, awake, awaken, call forth, evoke, provoke, raise up, summon up, call up, wake up, blow up, get up, light up, raise, get up the steam, rouse, arouse, stir, fire, kindle, enkindle, apply the torch, set on fire, inflame, stimulate, exsuscitate, inspirit, spirit up, stir up, work up, pique, infuse life into, give new life to, bring new blood, introduce new blood, quicken, sharpen, whet, work upon, hurry on, give a fillip, put on one's mettle, fan the fire, fan the flame, blow the coals, stir the embers, fan into a flame, foster, heat, warm, foment, raise to a fever heat, keep up, keep the pot boiling, revive, rekindle, rake up, rip up, stir the feelings, play on the feelings, come home to the feelings, touch a string, touch a chord, touch the soul, touch the heart, go to one's heart, penetrate, pierce, go through one, touch to the quick, possess the soul, pervade the soul, penetrate the soul, imbrue the soul, absorb the soul, affect the soul, disturb the soul, absorb, rivet the attention, sink into the mind, sink into the heart, prey on the mind, distract, intoxicate, overwhelm, overpower, bouleverser, upset, turn one's head, fascinate, enrapture, agitate, perturb, ruffle, fluster, shake, disturb, startle, shock, stagger, give one a shock, give one a turn, strike all of a heap, stun, astound, electrify, galvanize, petrify, irritate, sting, cut to the heart, cut to the quick, try one's temper, fool to the top of one's bent, pique, infuriate, madden, make one's blood boil, lash into fury, be excited, flush up, flare up, catch the infection, thrill, mantle, work oneself up, seethe, boil, simmer, foam, fume, flame, rage, rave, run mad.

Painfulness

VB cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain, pain, hurt, wound, pinch, prick, gripe, pierce, lancinate, cut, hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings, wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart, make the heart bleed, tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings, draw tears from the eyes, sadden, make unhappy, plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash, afflict, distress, cut up, cut to the heart, displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet, faze, feaze, feeze, disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune, wring, harrow, torment, torture, bullyrag, put to the rack, put to the question, break on the wheel, rack, scarify, cruciate, crucify, convulse, agonize, barb the dart, plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side, irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall, sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick, aggrieve, affront, enchafe, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper, give offense, maltreat, bite, snap at, assail, smite, sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils, go against the stomach, turn the stomach, make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear, stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal, appall, freeze the blood, make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end, make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold, make one shudder, haunt the memory, weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits, bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, add a nail to one's coffin.

Aggravation

VB aggravate, render worse, heighten, embitter, sour, exacerbate, exasperate, envenom, enrage, provoke, tease, add fuel to the fire, add fuel to the flame, fan the flame, go from bad to worse.

Resentment

VB resent, take amiss, take ill, take to heart, take offense, take umbrage, take huff, take exception, take in ill part, take in bad part, take in dudgeon, ne pas entendre raillerie, breathe revenge, cut up rough, fly into a rage, fall into a rage, get into a rage, fly into a passion, bridle up, bristle up, froth up, fire up, flare up, open the vials of one's wrath, pour out the vials of one's wrath, pout, knit the brow, frown, scowl, lower, snarl, growl, gnarl, gnash, snap, redden, color, look black, look black as thunder, look daggers, bite one's thumb, show one's teeth, grind one's teeth, champ the bit, champ at the bit, chafe, mantle, fume, kindle, fly out, take fire, boil, boil over, boil with indignation, boil with rage, rage, storm, foam, vent one's rage, vent one's spleen, lose one's temper, stand on one's hind legs, stamp the foot, stamp with rage, quiver with rage, swell with rage, foam with rage, burst with anger, raise Cain, have a fling at, bear malice, cause anger, raise anger, affront, offend, give offense, give umbrage, anger, hurt the feelings, insult, discompose, fret, ruffle, nettle, huff, pique, excite, irritate, stir the blood, stir up bile, sting, sting to the quick, rile, provoke, chafe, wound, incense, inflame, enrage, aggravate, add fuel to the flame, fan into a flame, widen the breach, envenom, embitter, exasperate, infuriate, kindle wrath, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, hit on the raw, rub on the raw, sting on the raw, strike on the raw, put out of countenance, put out of humor, put one's monkey up, put one's back up, raise one's gorge, raise one's dander, raise one's choler, work up into a passion, make one's blood boil, make the ears tingle, throw, into a ferment, madden, drive one mad, lash into fury, lash into madness, fool to the top of one's bent, set by the ears, bring a hornet's nest about one's ears.