invoke

verb

in·​voke in-ˈvōk 

invoked; invoking

transitive verb

1

a

: to petition for help or support

b

: to appeal to or cite as authority

2

: to call forth by incantation : conjure

3

: to make an earnest request for : solicit

4

: to put into effect or operation : implement

5

: bring about, cause

invoker noun

Did you know?

evoke or invoke?

Don’t feel bad if you have difficulty remembering the difference between evoke and invoke, as the words are quite similar in many ways and have considerable overlap in meaning. However, the words do differ, and you would not want to substitute one for the other. Invoke is used of putting into effect or calling upon such things as laws, authority, or privilege (“the principal invoked a rule forbidding students from asking questions”). Evoke is primarily used in the sense “to call forth or up” and is often found in connection with such things as memories, emotions, or sympathy.

Synonyms

• beget
• breed
• bring
• bring about
• bring on
• catalyze
• cause
• create
• do
• draw on
• effect
• effectuate
• engender
• generate
• induce
• make
• occasion
• produce
• prompt
• result (in)
• spawn
• translate (into)
• work
• yield

Examples of invoke in a Sentence

Nietzsche is so complex that he can be invoked in support of many outlooks, some of them brutal or nihilistic. —Thomas Nagel, New Republic, 14 Jan. 2002

There are some people who commit murder as a way of invoking the death penalty. Capital punishment can sometimes, then, be equivalent to suicide. —George Freeman Solomon, People, 17 Jan. 1977

We began poring over the typewritten recipes at the dining room table, where I foolishly invoked the name of Julia Child … —Gael Greene, New York, 13 Sept. 1971

He invoked the memory of his predecessor.

She invoked history to prove her point.

He invoked his Fifth Amendment privileges.

The suspect invoked his right to an attorney.

invoke the authority of the court

Recent Examples on the Web

Democrats on Thursday night proposed paying for the one-year extension of the ACA subsidies by offsetting it with automatic spending cuts, invoking what is known as the budget sequester, according to the people with knowledge of the proposal. —Dan Diamond and Rachel Roubein The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 7 Dec. 2024

The attack led to one of the darkest stains on the modern American record, as in response President Franklin D. Roosevelt invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to imprison more than 100,000 Japanese Americans, many of them U.S. citizens, in concentration camps. —James Powel, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024

The ’80s were awash in teen stories and maybe the show is using music from that era to invoke all those tropes in order to better subvert them. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Dec. 2024

Since Tuesday, both have become memes on the internet, invoked by users to dissect Yoon’s shock move and the implications for the country. —Chris Morris, Fortune Asia, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English envoken, from Middle French invoquer, from Latin invocare, from in- + vocare to call, from voc-, vox voice — more at voice

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

invoke

verb

in·​voke in-ˈvōk 

invoked; invoking

1

: to call on for aid or protection (as in prayer)

2

: to call forth by magic : conjure

invoke spirits

3

: to appeal to as an authority or for support

invoke a law

Legal Definition

invoke

transitive verb

in·​voke in-ˈvōk 

invoked; invoking

1

: to appeal to as furnishing authority or motive

2

: to put into legal effect or call for the observance of : enforce

invoking his Fifth Amendment privilege

3

: to introduce or put into operation

invoking economic sanctions

4

: to be the cause of

regulations that invoke problems in enforcement