Verb
provoke -
provide the needed stimulus for
stimulate
challenge raise a formal objection in a court of law
entice ,
lure ,
tempt provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion; "He lured me into temptation"
rejuvenate become young again; "The old man rejuvenated when he became a grandfather"
jog stimulate to remember; "jog my memory"
instigate ,
incite ,
stir up ,
set off provoke or stir up; "incite a riot" ; "set off great unrest among the people"
foment ,
stir up ,
agitate bathe with warm water or medicated lotions; "His legs should be fomented"
provoke -
evoke or provoke to appear or occur; "Her behavior provoked a quarrel between the couple"
evoke ,
call forth ,
kick up
cause ,
do ,
make give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally; "cause a commotion" ; "make a stir" ; "cause an accident"
pick remove in small bits; "pick meat from a bone"
provoke -
call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses); "arouse pity" ; "raise a smile" ; "evoke sympathy"
arouse ,
elicit ,
enkindle ,
kindle ,
evoke ,
fire ,
raise
create ,
make create by artistic means; "create a poem" ; "Schoenberg created twelve-tone music" ; "Picasso created Cubism" ; "Auden made verses"
touch a chord ,
strike a chord create an emotional response; "The music struck a chord with the listeners"
ask for ,
invite ask someone in a friendly way to do something
draw cause to localize at one point; "Draw blood and pus"
rekindle arouse again; "rekindle hopes" ; "rekindle her love"
infatuate arouse unreasoning love or passion in and cause to behave in an irrational way; "His new car has infatuated him" ; "love has infatuated her"
prick to cause a sharp emotional pain; "The thought of her unhappiness pricked his conscience"
fire up ,
ignite ,
heat ,
stir up ,
inflame ,
wake cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat; "Great heat can ignite almost any dry matter" ; "Light a cigarette"
shake up ,
stimulate ,
excite ,
stir ,
shake cause to be alert and energetic; "Coffee and tea stimulate me" ; "This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate"
excite produce a magnetic field in; "excite the neurons"
anger make angry; "The news angered him"
discomfit ,
discompose ,
disconcert ,
untune ,
upset cause to be out of tune; "Don't untune that string!"
shame surpass or beat by a wide margin
spite ,
wound ,
injure ,
bruise ,
offend ,
hurt cause injuries or bodily harm to
sweep over ,
whelm ,
overpower ,
overtake ,
overcome ,
overwhelm overcome by superior force
interest excite the curiosity of; engage the interest of
provoke -
annoy continually or chronically; "He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked" ; "This man harasses his female co-workers"
harass ,
hassle ,
harry ,
chivy ,
chivvy ,
chevy ,
chevvy ,
beset ,
plague ,
molest
annoy ,
rile ,
nettle ,
devil ,
nark ,
irritate ,
gravel ,
get to ,
get at ,
vex ,
chafe ,
rag ,
bother cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me" ; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves"
needle ,
goad goad or provoke,as by constant criticism; "He needled her with his sarcastic remarks"
bedevil ,
frustrate ,
torment ,
crucify ,
dun ,
rag torment emotionally or mentally
haze harass by imposing humiliating or painful tasks, as in military institutions
