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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.
Examples of evoke in a Sentence
Chelsea Davis, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
In their speeches Saturday, some of the rally speakers evoked the theme, which was also used to fuel Serbian nationalism in the 1990s that later led to the incitement of ethnic wars after the breakup of Yugoslavia.
—Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Affectionately, the 35-year-old pop star is not known for setting or chasing trends, instead using fashion to tease new musical eras or evoke a sense of girl-next-door relatability.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 29 June 2025
Priced at $12,500, the successor to the 2024 commemorative edition features a new honeycomb-like dial designed to evoke the green signal light of a train.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for evoke
Cite this Entry
“Evoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evoke. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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