How to Use provoke in a Sentence

provoke

verb
  • He just says those things because he's trying to provoke you.
  • His remarks provoked both tears and laughter.
  • The animal will not attack unless it is provoked.
  • This provokes the ire of Tedros, who slaps him hard across the face.
    — Katcy Stephan, Variety, 18 June 2023
  • But the White House fears this would provoke Mr. Putin.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021
  • Is the prize ripe enough to provoke Beijing to start a war?
    — George Calhoun, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2021
  • Think of it this way—the purpose of video content is to provoke, evoke and poke.
    — Jane Hanson, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021
  • Mace clearly knows how to please—and provoke—people on both sides of the aisle.
    — Will Yakowicz, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022
  • One thing is clear though, Musk continues to provoke the ire of the SEC with such statements.
    — Anat Alon-Beck, Forbes, 13 May 2022
  • The moon’s clash with Leo provokes emotional ups and downs.
    — USA TODAY, 9 July 2024
  • The moon’s clash with Mars provokes high-drama moments.
    — USA TODAY, 1 June 2023
  • On Bannon’s podcast, Vance said the point of the ad was to provoke criticism.
    — Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 17 Apr. 2022
  • Pushing the people in your domestic sphere to bend to your will could provoke them to rebel.
    — Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2022
  • The second-chorus scene in the hospital nursery, the singer dressed in scrubs and talking with the doctor, provoked some of the tears in the room.
    — Tom Roland, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2023
  • To be provoked at all by Aggro Dr1ft, or Harmony Korine, is to take the bait.
    — John Semley, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2023
  • And Europe’s largest armed conflict since the end of the world war, provoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2023
  • Crump has said Blake didn’t provoke police and was trying to break up an argument at the time of the shooting.
    — Joe Walsh, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2021
  • The story repeated to those in mourning may not provoke a smile.
    — George Castle, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022
  • Neither coach Gard nor his staff had any intent to provoke or incite any of what took place.
    — Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2022
  • Neither Coach Gard nor his staff had any intent to provoke or incite any of what took place.
    — Jason Duaine Hahn, PEOPLE.com, 22 Feb. 2022
  • Provocation Also, ask what makes the pain worse, or provokes it.
    — Jenny Sweigard, Verywell Health, 5 Mar. 2024
  • She was conflicted about what to do - whether to cut it off or continue so as not to provoke him.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 28 Jan. 2023
  • The move opens the latest chapter amid fears around the world that Russia might invade Ukraine or provoke in some other way.
    — Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2022
  • Those who did talk with Variety all agreed that the best defense is to avoid provoking fandoms in the first place.
    — Adam B. Vary, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
  • The Halloween Tree is a heartwarming and thought provoking story that both kids and adults can learn from.
    — Anna Mahan, Country Living, 29 Aug. 2023
  • Jennifer's fake emails seemed designed to provoke Lopez to kill Jamie in order to protect her.
    — CBS News, 9 Apr. 2022
  • The jurors also have to find that Rittenhouse did not provoke the attacks.
    — Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2021
  • In other words, hot enough to convince the Russians that the country was not worth the struggle, but not so hot to provoke a broader war in the region.
    — New York Times, 19 Mar. 2022
  • Waters added that Democrats would stand up to this plan and not be provoked into violence.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The comments provoked a public spat on X between the tech billionaire and several current and retired astronauts.
    — NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'provoke.' 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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