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
That has allowed Charlie Hebdo to skirt legal infractions and continue to anchor its content on religious provocation.
—
Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
Through bellicose rhetoric and impulsive actions, Washington might provoke crises similar to that which followed the 2022 visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the House, when China responded to U.S. provocation by stepping up its military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait.
—Yan Xuetong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
As a piece of educational software, its provocation deepens its effect.
—Simon Parkin, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
Italy is also a NATO country, so any serious provocation between Russia and these states could further escalate tensions between the alliance and Moscow.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for provocation 
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Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
Through bellicose rhetoric and impulsive actions, Washington might provoke crises similar to that which followed the 2022 visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the House, when China responded to U.S. provocation by stepping up its military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait.
—Yan Xuetong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
As a piece of educational software, its provocation deepens its effect.
—Simon Parkin, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
Italy is also a NATO country, so any serious provocation between Russia and these states could further escalate tensions between the alliance and Moscow.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for provocation
Dictionary Entries Near provocation
Cite this Entry
“Provocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provocation. Accessed 4 Feb. 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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