provoke

Glowing magenta, she twirled above what looked to be a rising river, a physical representation of the swirling, engulfing thoughts that anxiety can provoke as she performed the song by the same name.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

—Journalist Christiane Amanpour, explaining how the real worry over 60,000 migrants pouring into Spain’s Ceuta region is that it might provoke more concern about open borders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Eating healthily does not require the adoption of rigid diets that undermine the joy of eating and provoke their own anxiety.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

"It is defended precisely when those opinions disturb or provoke disagreement, provided that they form part of democratic debate, as is the case across all of our media outlets."

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Merely floating the possibility of the role to Lola might provoke a crisis, and could Briony really hold hands with her before the altar, while Jackson intoned from the Book of Common Prayer?

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

This John Stewart is purposefully calm and assured, even when Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan, an entitled jerk clinging to crusted-over glory, provokes him.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

But whether they found it indispensable or utterly disgusting, it was clear that ranch provokes strong opinions, which is essential for success in the attention economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

"I understand the anger and fear this provokes, and I will quickly meet with the Jewish community. It must always feel safe in our country," he added.

From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026

The romantic element of Sondheim’s score is best captured in the gorgeous singing of Chris Hunter’s Anthony Hope, whose crooning of “Johanna” provokes an epidemic of goosebumps throughout La Mirada Theatre.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026

I’ll see whether that provokes something—an unnatural response, any kind of reaction.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

In fact, the entire stock market could be best described as a casino that incentivizes absurd growth like the historic tech bubble provoked by the spread of artificial intelligence.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

"This is not Egypt's war and we will not be provoked," the official said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

In a move that provoked anguish among affected families, Bush was granted conditional bail after entering his final guilty pleas in April.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The dismissal provoked criticism among Ukrainians who credit Mykhailo Fedorov for his efforts to modernize the country’s armed forces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Galileo published these results in 1612, and they provoked a brief flurry of debate, but they were unnoticed outside northern Italy.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Then two 6-10 players suddenly showed up at Kennedy, provoking a City Section investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

It said such devices contributed to higher atmospheric pollution of nitrogen oxides that are suspected of "provoking the development of respiratory diseases in humans".

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

The decisive question is how long Iran's leaders can preserve Hormuz as leverage without provoking an all-out war, renewed unrest or the construction of alternative routes that make the strait matter less.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

When the king made plans to visit Canada, Starmer was nervous about provoking the U.S. president, according to officials involved in those discussions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

I knew I should grin and say, “Why no—it’s just nature,” or some other disarming remark to avoid provoking him.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin