provoke
verb
[ prəˈvəʊk ]
• stimulate or give rise to (a reaction or emotion, typically a strong or unwelcome one) in someone.
• "the decision provoked a storm of protest from civil rights organizations"
Similar:
arouse,
produce,
evoke,
cause,
give rise to,
occasion,
call forth,
draw forth,
elicit,
induce,
inspire,
excite,
spark off,
touch off,
kindle,
generate,
engender,
instigate,
result in,
lead to,
bring on,
contribute to,
make for,
foster,
promote,
breed,
precipitate,
prompt,
trigger,
beget,
enkindle,
Origin:
late Middle English (also in the sense ‘invoke, summon’): from Old French provoquer, from Latin provocare ‘challenge’, from pro- ‘forth’ + vocare ‘to call’.
