agent provocateur

noun

agent pro·​vo·​ca·​teur ˈä-ˌzhäⁿ-prō-ˌvä-kə-ˈtər  ˈā-jənt-prō-ˌvä-kə-ˈtər 

plural agents provocateurs ˈä-ˌzhäⁿ-prō-ˌvä-kə-ˈtər 

ˈā-jən(t)s-prō-

: one employed to associate with suspected persons and by pretending sympathy with their aims to incite them to some incriminating action

Examples of agent provocateur in a Sentence

The government used agents provocateurs to try to undermine the opposition party.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Italian Marco Materazzi was an agent provocateur, tossing out words about Zidane’s family like a grenade set to spew forth a red mist. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 2026

And for good reason; Villanueva spent his four years in office more as an agent provocateur than a public safety official. — The Editorial Board, Daily News, 13 May 2026

Members of the crowd accused Epps of being an agent provocateur, which later helped spur the conspiracy theories about him. — Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2024

Anyone who maligns the sultan is immediately thought to be an agent provocateur working for the sultan, and probably is. — Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, literally, "provoking agent"

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above