incite

verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

transitive verb

: to move to action : stir up : spur on : urge on

incitant

in-ˈsī-tᵊnt 

noun

incitement

in-ˈsīt-mənt 

noun

inciter noun

Synonyms

• abet
• brew
• ferment
• foment
• instigate
• pick
• provoke
• raise
• stir (up)
• whip (up)

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

Palestinians are also subject to charges of inciting violence over social media. —Lynzy Billing, The Dial, 6 May 2025

Turkey has supported Azerbaijan in gradually projecting influence over their Azeri cousins in the Azeri province of northern Iran, ultimately with a view to inciting secession. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025

An alleged member of the Islamic State has been arrested in Iraq after being accused of inciting the New Year's Day truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people and injured dozens of others, Iraqi authorities said. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025

Iraqi authorities said their investigation into the ISIS member came at the request of American authorities but did not expand on exactly what incited the deadly attack. —Audrey Conklin , Thomas Foley, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2025

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 above

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