as in provoked
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
John Adams's wife, Abigail, told him that if women were not remembered by the new American government, they would "foment a Rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation"
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Recent Examples of fomented
It’s not known if Pressley fomented her opposition from her new digs on Martha’s Vineyard or if Moulton has his eye on another run for president and didn’t want to check off that bipartisan box.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
The 2012 publication of Sunken Hazard, a report from the National Wildlife Federation about the potential for a spill from Line 5, fomented public concern and launched an advocacy movement that began with questions about Line 5’s safety and has led to calls for its complete shutdown.
—Mike Shriberg, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2025
By avoiding the backlash and chaos Musk fomented, can the 53-year-old VC show that a smaller government can be more efficient?
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Many of the racist, nativist vulgarities spoken out loud in Paul Thomas Anderson’s marvelous new film One Battle After Another evoke sentiments that, in our world, first fomented online.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Leading Arab agitators, Husseini among them, fomented anti-Jewish violence, hoping to sway British opinion away from creating a Jewish state.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Still, she and other candidates were held back as speculation fomented for months that Harris was toying with the idea of campaigning for the governor's mansion.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
This concept has fueled unrealistic body standards and fomented weight stigma in doctor’s offices, which can worsen the quality of care people in large bodies receive.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 26 Mar. 2025
The concerns have fomented a crusade against seed oils on social media.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
The 2012 publication of Sunken Hazard, a report from the National Wildlife Federation about the potential for a spill from Line 5, fomented public concern and launched an advocacy movement that began with questions about Line 5’s safety and has led to calls for its complete shutdown.
—Mike Shriberg, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2025
By avoiding the backlash and chaos Musk fomented, can the 53-year-old VC show that a smaller government can be more efficient?
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Many of the racist, nativist vulgarities spoken out loud in Paul Thomas Anderson’s marvelous new film One Battle After Another evoke sentiments that, in our world, first fomented online.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Leading Arab agitators, Husseini among them, fomented anti-Jewish violence, hoping to sway British opinion away from creating a Jewish state.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Still, she and other candidates were held back as speculation fomented for months that Harris was toying with the idea of campaigning for the governor's mansion.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
This concept has fueled unrealistic body standards and fomented weight stigma in doctor’s offices, which can worsen the quality of care people in large bodies receive.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 26 Mar. 2025
The concerns have fomented a crusade against seed oils on social media.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fomented
provoked
Verb
-
Republicans provoked a shutdown at the exact same point in the calendar in 2013 over defunding Obamacare — and the polls at that time were bad for the GOP.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Yet, as many observers predicted, attempts to extend transatlantic cohesion through NATO expansion ultimately provoked a Russian reaction that a transatlantic relationship premised on economic cooperation might not have had.—
JENNIFER KAVANAGH,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fomented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fomented. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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