provocation
noun
prov·o·ca·tion
ˌprä-və-ˈkā-shən 
1
: the act of provoking : incitement
2
: something that provokes, arouses, or stimulates
Examples of provocation in a Sentence
He can turn violent at the least provocation.
Her calmness in the face of repeated provocations impressed her friends.
With hardly any provocation, the crowd began to chant.
Recent Examples on the Web
Intentional provocation Serhii Sternenko, a Ukrainian activist lawyer and blogger, described the Oval Office spat as an intentional provocation on behalf of Trump to discredit Ukraine as an unreliable partner in the peace negotiations.
—
Lena Surzhko Harned, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
Yet even these lone voices failed to call out Trump for betraying Zelensky and adopting the talking points of a brutal regime that invaded Ukraine with no provocation three years ago.
—Mordechai Gordon, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2025
Online, jokey provocations feigned a detachment from real life.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
His zero-sum view of the world affords little patience for the churn and friction and provocation that actually make for good art.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocation
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Lena Surzhko Harned, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
Yet even these lone voices failed to call out Trump for betraying Zelensky and adopting the talking points of a brutal regime that invaded Ukraine with no provocation three years ago.
—Mordechai Gordon, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2025
Online, jokey provocations feigned a detachment from real life.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
His zero-sum view of the world affords little patience for the churn and friction and provocation that actually make for good art.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocation
Cite this Entry
“Provocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provocation. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
provocation
noun
prov·o·ca·tion
ˌpräv-ə-ˈkā-shən
1
: the act of provoking
2
: something that provokes
Medical Definition
provocation
noun
prov·o·ca·tion
ˌpräv-ə-ˈkā-shən
: the act or process of provoking
a nonspecific irritant that brings about provocation of bronchial asthma
Legal Definition
provocation
noun
prov·o·ca·tion
ˌprä-və-ˈkā-shən
1
: the act of provoking
2
: something that provokes, arouses, or stimulates
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