as in spell
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
a Siberian shaman muttering mysterious invocations to ward off evil
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Recent Examples of invocation
The invocation of an actual legend and martyr of the sport—Senna died in 1994, after a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix—is meant to supply a jolt of gravitas.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
When Napoleon insists on Antonin serving a dessert in the form of a pyramid — a bald-faced invocation of the war between France and England, and a provocation to the English ambassador, who is theoretically the guest of honor — Antonin duly wheels one into the dining room.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 11 June 2025
Take Claes Oldenburg’s almost nostalgic invocation in 1969 of the famous Chrysler 1937 Airflow, one of the first cars to have been designed according to the laws of aerodynamics.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
The rulings centered on Trump's unprecedented invocation of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act as a legal justification for levies.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for invocation
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
When Napoleon insists on Antonin serving a dessert in the form of a pyramid — a bald-faced invocation of the war between France and England, and a provocation to the English ambassador, who is theoretically the guest of honor — Antonin duly wheels one into the dining room.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 11 June 2025
Take Claes Oldenburg’s almost nostalgic invocation in 1969 of the famous Chrysler 1937 Airflow, one of the first cars to have been designed according to the laws of aerodynamics.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
The rulings centered on Trump's unprecedented invocation of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act as a legal justification for levies.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for invocation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invocation
Noun
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When Wednesday asks how to make the tears stop, Morticia forces her to give up Goody’s book of spells.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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In the end, Thing lets Morticia take Goody’s book of spells.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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How to turn a human into a statistic, an alien, an enemy combatant–transformations worked not through incantation, but through the movement of paper in government offices.—
Celia Bell
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
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Then, in what might be one of the most fitting metaphors of parenting and family-building in horror-comedy history, everyone—Rohan, Josh, their parents, their partner's parents, and even their friend—start screaming the same garbled Latin incantation in an effort to confuse the demon.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Rumors of a Satanic curse on the event skittered around the Haight, so early on the morning of the 14th, Ginsberg, Snyder, and Alan Watts conducted a pradakshina, a Buddhist purification rite.—
Dennis McNally,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
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As those points attest, emotional wording can be a blessing and a curse.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Invocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invocation. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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