PROVOKE in a Sentence

Learn PROVOKE from example sentences, some of them are from classic books. These examples are selected from a corpus with 300,000 sentences, including classic works and current mainstream media. Some sentences also link to their contexts.

For PROVOKE, below is one of 84 sentences:
Such conduct made them of course most exceedingly laughed at; but ridicule could not shame, and seemed hardly to provoke them.

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 Meanings and Examples of PROVOKE
Definition Example Sentence Classic Sentence
provoke
 v.  stir to anger; give rise to; stir to action or feeling
Classic Sentence: (64 in 5 pages)
1  She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such an alliance.
Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 10
2  The easy assurance of the young couple, indeed, was enough to provoke him.
Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 51
3  There was nothing of presumption or folly in Bingley that could provoke his ridicule, or disgust him into silence; and he was more communicative, and less eccentric, than the other had ever seen him.
Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 55
4  To this point he has been discreet in dreading to provoke me; you must represent the peril of quitting that policy, and remind him of my passionate temper, verging, when kindled, on frenzy.
Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XI
5  Such conduct made them of course most exceedingly laughed at; but ridicule could not shame, and seemed hardly to provoke them.
Sense and Sensibility By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 11
6  Elinor thought it wisest to make no answer to this, lest they might provoke each other to an unsuitable increase of ease and unreserve; and was even partly determined never to mention the subject again.
Sense and Sensibility By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 24
7  I won't provoke my betters with knowledge, thank you.
David Copperfield By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 17. SOMEBODY TURNS UP
8  He would provoke them and set them off.
Anna Karenina 2 By Leo Tolstoy
Context  Highlight   In PART 4: Chapter 7
9  "I weigh not these evils," said Rebecca, afraid to provoke the wild knight, yet equally determined neither to endure his passion, nor even feign to endure it.
Ivanhoe By Walter Scott
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXXIX
10  There is something about a roused woman: especially if she add to all her other strong passions, the fierce impulses of recklessness and despair; which few men like to provoke.
Oliver Twist By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XVI
11  Mary is good-natured enough in many respects," said she; "but she does sometimes provoke me excessively, by her nonsense and pride--the Elliot pride.
Persuasion By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 10
12  She meant to avoid any such alteration of manners as might provoke a remonstrance on his side.
Persuasion By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 22
13  The fact that he had no right to show his feelings, and thus provoke the expression of hers, made him attach a fantastic importance to every change in her look and tone.
Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
Context  Highlight   In II
14  She so longed to hear him say it in words, longed to speak words herself that would provoke a confession, but she dared not.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XLI
15  "Here is some confusion in names between us, Le Renard," said Duncan, hoping to provoke a discussion.
The Last of the Mohicans By James Fenimore Cooper
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 10
Example Sentence: (20 in 2 pages)
1  He started beating me when I was about fifteen but I didn't do anything to provoke him.
2  The article was intended to provoke discussion.
3  That might provoke a riot, the very thing he was trying to avoid.
4  If one firm goes under it could provoke a cascade of bankruptcies.
5  This is likely to provoke a further row about the bank's role in the affair.
6  Today, another American legend, Mark Twain, celebrated for the power of his language and his ability to delight and provoke, is also under attack.
7  Letting the problem continue to fester is not an option; it could well provoke another crisis and outbreak of more general fighting through out the region.
8  His actions provoked severe criticism from civil rights groups.
9  The lawyer claimed his client was provoked into acts of violence by the defendant.
10  The noise would have provoked alarm and neighbourly concern.
11  The demonstrations were provoked by the unexplained death of an opposition leader.
12  This television program provoked a spirited debate in the United Kingdom.
13  The release from prison of two of the terrorists has provoked a public outcry.
14  The comments provoked an angry response from union leaders.
15  The remark provoked an angry response from the crowd.