agent provocateur

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent provocateur
Noun
  • In Syria, rebels overthrew Assad last year, Israeli strikes killed Hezbollah and Hamas’ top leaders, while Iraqi militant groups faded into the background.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
  • In Valentin's case, his love for Molina, and in Cassian's, his love for adoptive mother, Maarva (Fiona Shaw), girlfriend Bix (Adria Arjona), and the other rebels with whom he's aligned himself.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Like the Industrial Revolution-era insurgents, the new Luddites are not anti-technology but anti-exploitation, the tech journalist Brian Merchant tells me.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
  • After two cycles in which pro-Israel groups spent heavily against left-wing candidates, insurgent Democrats believe the mood has changed.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • For too long in Kansas, the Republican Party has been dominated by extremists who see no room for moderation or bipartisanship, let alone unity or mutual respect.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
  • So what happens when extremists wear their clothes?
    Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Sometimes there’s a kid who is labeled a ‘troublemaker’ who just needs to be heard.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
  • That shouldn’t be a problem, as Taylor would never be mistaken for a troublemaker.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Mexican actor plays revolutionaries in both season 2 of Star Wars series Andor and new movie musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The film features a story between a transgender character and a cisgender political revolutionary (played by Tonatiuh and Diego Luna) who are pulled from two separate worlds and are imprisoned in one cell.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Starship's flight path SpaceX plans to use the flight test to gather data to inform the design of the next iteration of its lower-stage rocket booster, known as Super Heavy, while stress-testing the upper-stage vehicle's heat shield.
    Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Psyk said he was moved that the coach was emotional speaking to media, alums and boosters.
    Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Then, that night, Turki Al-Sheikh, a Saudi Arabian government official and sports promoter, posted on social-media platform X that United were close to being sold.
    Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Swift said of the music mogul and promoter who helps the NFL select the Super Bowl act in recent seasons.
    Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Grand Blanc attack was mentioned briefly on Saturday, Oct 4, at the start of the two-day conference by Elder Gary Stevenson, one of 12 apostles who help lead the church's 17.5 million members worldwide, almost 47,000 of them in Michigan.
    Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Nelson served as an apostle beginning in 1984 and became the church's leader in 2018.
    Mitch Picasso, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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