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 defense, however, said Jones was the real villain, stating that the teenager had been the first to start shooting, firing on Derrick without provocation from a moving car because Jones was angry with how Derrick had treated his cousin.
—
John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2025
Investigators say Rodriguez drew a 9 mm handgun and opened fire without provocation.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2025
And while all babies cry, traumatized babies cry a lot, and these babies wailed at the slightest provocation.
—Frances Dodds Samantha Desz Krish Seenivasan Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 18 May 2025
New Delhi’s response to terrorist provocations on its side of the line of control—the de facto boundary between the two countries—has grown increasingly intense since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocation
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John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2025
Investigators say Rodriguez drew a 9 mm handgun and opened fire without provocation.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2025
And while all babies cry, traumatized babies cry a lot, and these babies wailed at the slightest provocation.
—Frances Dodds Samantha Desz Krish Seenivasan Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 18 May 2025
New Delhi’s response to terrorist provocations on its side of the line of control—the de facto boundary between the two countries—has grown increasingly intense since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 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 3 Jun. 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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