{
    "term": "provoke",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "provoke",
            "heSheIt": "provokes"
        },
        "pastSimple": "provoked",
        "pastParticiple": "provoked",
        "ingForm": "provoking"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to cause a particular reaction or have a particular effect",
            "sensetop": "provoke something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The announcement provoked a storm of protest."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The article was intended to provoke discussion."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Dairy products may provoke allergic reactions in some people."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The suggestion inevitably provoked outrage from student leaders."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Such a decision may provoke a backlash from their supporters."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The company was provoked into issuing a denial."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The decision to close the factory has provoked fury."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The minister does not wish to provoke further demonstrations."
                },
                {
                    "text": "What had she done to provoke his wrath?"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Change, cause and effect"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["deliberately", "inevitably", "immediately"],
                "verb + provoke": ["try to", "be likely to", "be designed to"],
                "preposition": ["into", "to"],
                "phrases": ["easily provoked"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to say or do something that you know will annoy somebody so that they react in an angry way",
            "sensetop": "provoke somebodyprovoke somebody into (doing) somethingprovoke somebody to do something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Be careful what you say—he's easily provoked.",
                    "contextForm": "provoke somebody"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The lawyer claimed his client was provoked into acts of violence by the defendant.",
                    "contextForm": "provoke somebody into (doing) something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "An attack on their city will only provoke them to retaliate.",
                    "contextForm": "provoke somebody to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The prison guards deliberately provoke the political prisoners."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She had been trying to provoke her sister into an argument."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Their laughter provoked him to anger."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Opinion and argument", "Feelings"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["deliberately", "inevitably", "immediately"],
                "verb + provoke": ["try to", "be likely to", "be designed to"],
                "preposition": ["into", "to"],
                "phrases": ["easily provoked"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/prəˈvəʊk/",
                "audio": "pr/provoke/provoke__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/prəˈvəʊks/",
                "audio": "pr/provoke/provokes__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/prəˈvəʊkt/",
                "audio": "pr/provoke/provoked__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/prəˈvəʊkɪŋ/",
                "audio": "pr/provoke/provoking__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/prəˈvəʊk/",
                "audio": "pr/provoke/provoke__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/prəˈvəʊks/",
                "audio": "pr/provoke/provokes__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/prəˈvəʊkt/",
                "audio": "pr/provoke/provoked__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/prəˈvəʊkɪŋ/",
                "audio": "pr/provoke/provoking__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English (also in the sense ‘invoke, summon’): from Old French provoquer, from Latin provocare ‘challenge’, from pro- ‘forth’ + vocare ‘to call’."
}