Verb: provoke pru'vowk
- Provide the needed stimulus for
"The documentary provoked a heated debate on social media";
- stimulate
- Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
"provoke pity";
- arouse, elicit, enkindle [literary], kindle, evoke, raise
- Annoy or hinder continually or in many ways
"This man provokes his female co-workers";
- harass, hassle [informal], harry, chivy [Brit], chivvy [Brit], chevy [Brit, archaic], chevvy [non-standard], beset, plague, molest
- Make appear or occur
"Her behaviour provoked a quarrel between the couple";
- evoke, call forth, kick up [informal]
Derived forms: provoked, provoking, provokes
See also: call
Type of: annoy, bother, cause, chafe [archaic], challenge, create, devil, do, engender, get at [informal], get to, gravel [US], irritate, make, nark [Brit, slang], nettle, rag, rile, roil [N. Amer], tick off [informal], vex
Encyclopedia: Provoke