{
    "term": "invoke",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "academic": true,
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "invoke",
            "heSheIt": "invokes"
        },
        "pastSimple": "invoked",
        "pastParticiple": "invoked",
        "ingForm": "invoking"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to mention or use a law, rule, etc. as a reason for doing something",
            "sensetop": "invoke something (against somebody)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to mention a person, a theory, an example, etc. to support your opinions or ideas, or as a reason for something",
            "sensetop": "invoke somebody/something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She invoked several eminent scholars to back up her argument."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Opinion and argument"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to mention somebody’s name to make people feel a particular thing or act in a particular way",
            "sensetop": "invoke something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "His name was invoked as a symbol of the revolution."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to make a request (for help) to somebody, especially a god",
            "sensetop": "invoke somebody",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "to make somebody have a particular feeling or imagine a particular scene",
            "sensetop": "invoke something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The opening paragraph invokes a vision of England in the early Middle Ages."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 6,
            "definition": "to begin to run a program, etc.",
            "sensetop": "invoke something",
            "labels": "(computing)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "This command will invoke the HELP system."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 7,
            "definition": "to make evil appear by using magic",
            "sensetop": "invoke somebody/something",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ɪnˈvəʊk/",
                "audio": "in/invoke/invoke__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ɪnˈvəʊks/",
                "audio": "in/invoke/invokes__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ɪnˈvəʊkt/",
                "audio": "in/invoke/invoked__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ɪnˈvəʊkɪŋ/",
                "audio": "in/invoke/invoking__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ɪnˈvəʊk/",
                "audio": "in/invoke/invoke__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ɪnˈvəʊks/",
                "audio": "in/invoke/invokes__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ɪnˈvəʊkt/",
                "audio": "in/invoke/invoked__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ɪnˈvəʊkɪŋ/",
                "audio": "in/invoke/invoking__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late 15th cent.: from French invoquer, from Latin invocare, from in- ‘upon’ + vocare ‘to call’."
}