incite

verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

transitive verb

1

: to move (someone) to action : urge on

incited the crowd to violence

2

: to cause (a usually violent action or feeling) to occur

arrested for inciting a riot

incitant

in-ˈsī-tᵊnt 

noun

incitement

in-ˈsīt-mənt 

noun

inciter noun

Synonyms of incite

• provoke

Choose the Right Synonym for incite

incite, instigate, abet, foment mean to spur to action.

incite stresses a stirring up and urging on, and may or may not imply initiating.

inciting a riot

instigate definitely implies responsibility for initiating another's action and often connotes underhandedness or evil intention.

instigated a conspiracy

abet implies both assisting and encouraging.

aiding and abetting the enemy

foment implies persistence in goading.

fomenting rebellion

Examples of incite in a Sentence

The news incited widespread fear and paranoia.

the rock band's failure to show up incited a riot, as the crowd had waited for hours

Recent Examples on the Web

Tundu Lissu, a Tanzanian opposition leader and chairperson of the Chadema party, was sentenced to four years in prison after he was convicted of inciting people to disrupt last year's election but was acquitted of the more serious charge of treason. — Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026

But Henderson said her generation of filmmakers doesn’t feel discouraged, so much as eager to incite change. — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026

Michelle Remembers The satanic panic’s inciting incident is often identified as the 1980 publication of the book Michelle Remembers, written by Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder with his former patient (and future wife) Michelle Smith. — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

But seemingly out of nowhere, something incited the emergence of a more virulent Sporothrix species spread by cats and not plants. — Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French inciter, from Latin incitare, from in- + citare to put in motion — more at cite

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for incite

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

incite

verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to move to action : stir up

inciter noun

Medical Definition

incite

transitive verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to bring into being : induce to exist or occur

organisms that readily incited antibody formation

Legal Definition

incite

transitive verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to urge on

incite a riot

incitement noun