provoquer

Senses

1. 1.

   to provoke; to incite

   to deliberately anger or challenge someone into reacting

2. 2.

   to cause; to bring about

   to be the direct cause of an event or situation

3. 3.

   to arouse; to stir up

   to elicit a feeling, desire, or response

Examples

• "Il a provoqué un accident en conduisant trop vite."

  He caused an accident by driving too fast.

• "Ne me provoque pas, je n'ai pas le temps pour ça."

  Don't provoke me, I don't have time for this.

• "Cette musique provoque une certaine nostalgie chez moi."

  This music stirs up a certain nostalgia in me.

Usage

A common, standard French verb with three main shades of meaning: deliberate confrontation (provoquer quelqu'un), causation (provoquer un événement), and emotional evocation. Register: neutral to formal. Often collocates with un incident, un scandale, une réaction, or a direct object person.