invoke

verb

in·​voke in-ˈvōk How to pronounce invoke (audio)
invoked; invoking

transitive verb

1
a
: to petition for help or support
b
: to appeal to or cite as authority
2
: to call forth by incantation : conjure
3
: to make an earnest request for : solicit
4
: to put into effect or operation : implement
5
invoker noun

Did you know?

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 invoke in a Sentence

Nietzsche is so complex that he can be invoked in support of many outlooks, some of them brutal or nihilistic. Thomas Nagel, New Republic, 14 Jan. 2002
There are some people who commit murder as a way of invoking the death penalty. Capital punishment can sometimes, then, be equivalent to suicide. George Freeman Solomon, People, 17 Jan. 1977
We began poring over the typewritten recipes at the dining room table, where I foolishly invoked the name of Julia Child … Gael Greene, New York, 13 Sept. 1971
He invoked the memory of his predecessor. She invoked history to prove her point. He invoked his Fifth Amendment privileges. The suspect invoked his right to an attorney. invoke the authority of the court See More
Recent Examples on the Web Some backlash has invoked racist and misogynistic stereotypes against Brazile, who is herself Black, but others called into question how statements like these affect Asian American communities. Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2023 Another retiree, 80-year-old Gene Vickrey, explained his opposition to the reactor by invoking Chernobyl. Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023 The Biden administration is making the move by invoking the Defense Production Act, a provision that allows the president to spur the manufacture of materials needed for national defense. WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023 On the trail, Mr. Kennedy has delivered a populist message of anti-corporate rhetoric and debunked science while invoking a powerful lineage: his uncles, former President John F. Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy, and his father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Susanne Craig, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023 This ghost of slavery that has been invoked has the effect of intimidating those who, from convictions of duty, are seeking to emancipate the enslaved race in this state. Anna Deavere Smith, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2023 In their list of demands, Republican senators also included dramatic restrictions on the use of humanitarian parole, a law the Biden administration has invoked to welcome hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees from Afghanistan, Latin America and Ukraine. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2023 Bob Dylan, the Jew who caused the heads of every diehard Roth fan to quietly explode when he was awarded his Nobel, was invoked in my presence exactly once all weekend—by a man who wrote a book about him. Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023 Asher would be the first to invoke the truism that Whitney inspires him to be a better person. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invoke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English envoken, from Middle French invoquer, from Latin invocare, from in- + vocare to call, from voc-, vox voice — more at voice

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of invoke was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near invoke

Cite this Entry

“Invoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invoke. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

invoke

verb
in·​voke in-ˈvōk How to pronounce invoke (audio)
invoked; invoking
1
: to call on for aid or protection (as in prayer)
2
: to call forth by magic : conjure
invoke spirits
3
: to appeal to as an authority or for support
invoke a law

Legal Definition

invoke

transitive verb
in·​voke in-ˈvōk How to pronounce invoke (audio)
invoked; invoking
1
: to appeal to as furnishing authority or motive
2
: to put into legal effect or call for the observance of : enforce
invoking his Fifth Amendment privilege
3
: to introduce or put into operation
invoking economic sanctions
4
: to be the cause of
regulations that invoke problems in enforcement

More from Merriam-Webster on invoke

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