provocation
noun
prov·o·ca·tion
ˌprä-və-ˈkā-shən 
1
: the act of provoking : incitement
2
: something that provokes, arouses, or stimulates
Examples of provocation in a Sentence
He can turn violent at the least provocation.
Her calmness in the face of repeated provocations impressed her friends.
With hardly any provocation, the crowd began to chant.
Recent Examples on the Web
The country would view any Indian strike as an unwarranted provocation.
—
Michael Kugelman, Time, 3 May 2025
South Korea’s Unification Ministry on Monday called on North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia immediately, arguing that the North’s support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses a grave provocation to international security.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Read: Sophie Gilbert on the dark teen show that pushes the edge of provocation
Euphoria was provocative to a fault—one locker-room montage featuring more than a dozen full-frontal penises felt more like a challenge to find premium cable’s limits than a coherent piece of storytelling.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Police said an investigation revealed the man had been sitting in the plaza when the woman approached him and without provocation spat on him while yelling a racial epithet directed at Black people.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocation
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Michael Kugelman, Time, 3 May 2025
South Korea’s Unification Ministry on Monday called on North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia immediately, arguing that the North’s support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses a grave provocation to international security.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Read: Sophie Gilbert on the dark teen show that pushes the edge of provocation
Euphoria was provocative to a fault—one locker-room montage featuring more than a dozen full-frontal penises felt more like a challenge to find premium cable’s limits than a coherent piece of storytelling.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Police said an investigation revealed the man had been sitting in the plaza when the woman approached him and without provocation spat on him while yelling a racial epithet directed at Black people.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocation
Cite this Entry
“Provocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provocation. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
provocation
noun
prov·o·ca·tion
ˌpräv-ə-ˈkā-shən
1
: the act of provoking
2
: something that provokes
Medical Definition
provocation
noun
prov·o·ca·tion
ˌpräv-ə-ˈkā-shən
: the act or process of provoking
a nonspecific irritant that brings about provocation of bronchial asthma
Legal Definition
provocation
noun
prov·o·ca·tion
ˌprä-və-ˈkā-shən
1
: the act of provoking
2
: something that provokes, arouses, or stimulates
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