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Definition
to cause a reaction — typically an emotional reaction such as anger; and sometimes caused intentionally- Her remarks provoked a public outcry.
provoked = caused — typically an emotional reaction such as anger
- We should not permit deeply offensive words to provoke violence.
- Her behavior provoked a quarrel between the couple.
- I can't see two slaps in the face provoking him into committing murder.Reginald Rose -- Twelve Angry Men
- So I began to purposefully irritate her, hoping I could provoke her enough that she would end my misery.Dave Pelzer -- A Child Called It
- 'It's VERY provoking,' Humpty Dumpty said after a long silence, looking away from Alice as he spoke, 'to be called an egg—VERY!'Lewis Carroll -- Through the Looking-Glass
- What three things does drink especially provoke?William Shakespeare -- Macbeth
- she has provoked me when I could not bear it;Emily Bronte -- Wuthering Heights
- it was very provoking to find that...Lewis Carroll -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- We fell silent, listening for agitation in the nursing station—the sort of agitation an escape provokes.Susanna Kaysen -- Girl Interrupted
- "We were sorely provoked," said Jewel.C.S. Lewis -- The Last Battle
- He was provoked.J.K. Rowling -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- He said that my sister was not allowed to see the boy who hit her anymore, and he was going to have a talk with the boy's parents tonight. My sister then said that it was all her fault, that she was provoking him, but my dad said it was no excuse.Stephen Chbosky -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- To disobey these laws and so provoke
The wrath of Heaven.Sophocles -- Antigone - Gregor remained all this time on the floor, largely because he feared his father might see it as especially provoking if he fled onto the wall or ceiling.Franz Kafka -- Metamorphosis
- I guess I provoked old Apron.Robert Newton Peck -- A Day No Pigs Would Die
- A little girl was driving home her cow, a plodding, dilatory, provoking creature in her behavior, but a valued companion for all that.Sarah Jewett -- A White Heron
- pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke studyCharlotte Perkins Gilman -- The Yellow Wallpaper
- The goal was to create tension and provoke confrontations that would force the federal government to step in and enforce the laws.Christopher Paul Curtis -- The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
- Not I. The Varden were the ones who provoked this conflict.Christopher Paolini -- Brisingr
provoke = cause
provoking = making (him take action)
provoke = get her angry
provoking = irritating (causing an angry reaction)
provoke = cause in reaction
provoked = angered
provoking = causing an emotional reaction
provokes = causes to happen
provoked = incited (deliberately encouraged an emotional reaction)
provoked = incited (to cause a reaction)
provoking = making (him) so angry he would react
provoke = to cause a reaction
provoking = upsetting (causing an emotional reaction such as anger)
provoked = caused a reaction from
provoking = tending to cause a reaction — typically an emotional reaction such as anger
provoke = cause (in reaction)