as in rebel
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Recent Examples of agent provocateur
There is the buffer, the confidante, the agent provocateur.
—
George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 July 2025
But De Niro’s attempt at playing agent provocateur stumbled badly: His decision to stand outside the New York Trump trial cost the actor his credibility.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 June 2024
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
The Globoplay Original, produced by the company’s journalism arm, examines the lives of those adjacent to the faction through interviews with the contingents’ defenders, defectors, sociologists and an agent provocateur that develops carefully-orchestrated chaos.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 20 Mar. 2023
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
The last dispatch from the alien/agent provocateur known as Greg Tate beamed out from perhaps his most inconspicuous dwelling.
—Tirhakah Love, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2021
At the same time, agents provocateurs played a significant role in the turbulence.
—Adam Hochschild, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2019
George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 July 2025
But De Niro’s attempt at playing agent provocateur stumbled badly: His decision to stand outside the New York Trump trial cost the actor his credibility.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 June 2024
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
The Globoplay Original, produced by the company’s journalism arm, examines the lives of those adjacent to the faction through interviews with the contingents’ defenders, defectors, sociologists and an agent provocateur that develops carefully-orchestrated chaos.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 20 Mar. 2023
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
The last dispatch from the alien/agent provocateur known as Greg Tate beamed out from perhaps his most inconspicuous dwelling.
—Tirhakah Love, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2021
At the same time, agents provocateurs played a significant role in the turbulence.
—Adam Hochschild, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent provocateur
Noun
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Additionally, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen on shipping routes in the Red Sea have slashed Suez Canal revenues, which is a major source for foreign currency.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
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The actor who played soft-hearted rebel Shawn Hunter joined his former costar Matthew Lawrence and his brothers, Andrew and Joey Lawrence, on Friday's episode of their Brotherly Love podcast.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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New Delhi vehemently denied the allegations and accused former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of harboring Sikh extremists of the Khalistan movement.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The infamous Cinema Rex arson attack in the city of Abadan in southwest Iran in August 1978, in which Islamic extremists barred the doors of the theater and set it alight, killing up to 470 people, is seen as a trigger for the Iranian Revolution of 1979 in which the Islamic Regime come to power.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Their bid to cash in on the find quickly unravels into a dangerous pursuit, as smugglers and rivals close in and an unlikely band of companions, including a resourceful fish vendor and a volatile local troublemaker, get swept up in the mayhem.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
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He was branded a troublemaker in school, but his ADHD and OCD made learning difficult.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Almost fifty years ago, Iran’s revolutionaries introduced a militant brand of Shiite Islam as a viable medium of political opposition and governance.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Once back in power, Perón—and, after his death in 1974, his wife and successor, Isabelita—would demonize the revolutionaries as terrorists.—
Daniel R. Quiles,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The first-stage booster made its first flight.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Both first stage boosters were successfully recovered.—
Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Both cases, including one that got as far as the Supreme Court, underscore the determination of AI promoters and uses to infiltrate the new technology deeper into society.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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All in all, however, promoters have definitely come up with a great lineup for 2026.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The New Testament canon usually includes 27 books, including the four gospels that describe Jesus’ life – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – and Acts, which describes the works of the apostles who continued Jesus’ ministry after his death.—
Christy Cobb,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2026
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This is the final day of Lent for Christians and focuses on the remembrance of both the foot washing and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the apostles.—
Chris Sims,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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