How to Use provocateur in a Sentence

provocateur

noun
Definition of provocateurnext
Synonyms for provocateurnext
  • Steele hasn’t been afraid to play the role of off-air provocateur.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Oct. 2021
  • The rapper and provocateur is vying to win top gospel artist for the second year in a row.
    — Paul Grein, Billboard, 29 Apr. 2021
  • Noé is a bit of a provocateur in the way that Lebron is kind of good at basketball.
    — Joshua Rivera, GQ, 14 May 2018
  • At the same time, Roth was a provocateur from the beginning, in the sense that all essential artists are.
    — David L. Ulin, latimes.com, 23 May 2018
  • Which might explain why, in 2018, the best music from hip-hop’s lead provocateur is rock and roll.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 14 June 2018
  • Pitt was in the starring role of Tyler Durden, a soap salesman and provocateur who forms a fight club.
    — Nick Romano, EW.com, 4 Aug. 2022
  • The phrase and the tags were conceived by the artist and provocateur Daniel Joseph Martinez, who later contributed to the 2008 show, and does again to the present one.
    — New York Times, 31 Mar. 2022
  • Plastic Hearts, the Disney star-turned-pop provocateur's newest project, is Cyrus' homage of sorts to the 1980s.
    — Maura Johnston, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2020
  • If Ethridge wasn’t so good at this, he could be dismissed as a joker, a provocateur.
    — Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2022
  • All the same, this reviewer could not help longing for a glimpse of Madonna the provocateur.
    — C.m., The Economist, 19 June 2019
  • The speech in question, of course, is one by alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
    — Katherine Timpf, National Review, 2 Sep. 2017
  • The provocateur asked her questions about her detainment and the trade the United States made for her release.
    — Indystar Sports, The Indianapolis Star, 11 June 2023
  • The advisory viewed by The Post cites a tweet by right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer.
    — Shayna Jacobs, David Nakamura, Hannah Allam, Isaac Arnsdorf, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 12 June 2023
  • Justin Bieber is at it again — this time, the 23-year-old pop star provocateur has covered his torso in a massive tattoo.
    — Laura Beck, Cosmopolitan, 21 Oct. 2017
  • There are four reporters at the heart of my book, plus one agitator and provocateur.
    — Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2022
  • Before this, Gaga was seen as a shock-and-awe pop provocateur whose skill took a backseat to spectacle.
    — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 28 Sep. 2018
  • To instead prompt your leader to coach, make sure to approach them as a thought partner and provocateur of learning.
    — Carylynn Larson, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2021
  • Kat Von D, the tattoo artist turned beauty founder, has a long history as a provocateur.
    — Cheryl Wischhover, Vox, 18 Dec. 2018
  • In fact, both have played the role of primetime provocateur for their respective outlets.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
  • The grand marshal of the parade was a silly man named Milo Yiannopoulos, a provocateur who likes to start trouble.
    — Kevin Cullen, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2019
  • That is a mission very much in line with North Korea’s provocateur playbook.
    — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 17 Nov. 2020
  • Film provocateur and #MeToo target Quentin Tarantino is working on a new film.
    — Meagan Fredette, refinery29.com, 23 June 2018
  • In many ways, the ACA and health policy were natural targets for the provocateurs.
    — Paul Overberg, WSJ, 12 Sep. 2018
  • Fox News host and right-wing provocateur Dan Bongino covered the story on his podcast as well.
    — Marshall Cohen, CNN, 17 June 2021
  • McConnell, no doubt, expected the party -- in the wake of the trauma of January 6 -- to begin to move away from the man who had served as the chief provocateur that day.
    — Chris Cillizza, CNN, 22 Sep. 2021
  • Two young white men will play the role of Milo Yiannopoulos-esque troll-provocateurs thirsting for fame.
    — Anne Branigin, The Root, 25 Sep. 2017
  • Rodman, for much of the past decade, has been playing a stereotype of himself -- the brash, unpredictable provocateur.
    — Chris Cillizza, CNN, 12 June 2018
  • Instead, he’s played footsie with the idea that the riot might have been caused by federal provocateurs.
    — The Editors, National Review, 23 Aug. 2023
  • But the 54-year-old right-wing provocateur made clear Tuesday that was his plan and offered an explanation.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2024
  • Since Gamergate, right-wing provocateurs have painted Democrats and liberals as cringe.
    — Makena Kelly, WIRED, 1 Aug. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'provocateur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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