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invoke

verb
inĀ·​voke | \ in-Ėˆvōk How to pronounce invoke (audio) \
invoked; invoking

Definition of invoke

transitive verb

1a : to petition for help or support
b : to appeal to or cite as authority
2 : to call forth by incantation : conjure
3 : to make an earnest request for : solicit
4 : to put into effect or operation : implement
5 : bring about, cause
Other Words from invoke Synonyms evoke or invoke? Example Sentences Learn More about invoke

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Other Words from invoke

invoker noun

evoke or invoke?

Donā€™t feel bad if you have difficulty remembering the difference between evoke and invoke, as the words are quite similar in many ways and have considerable overlap in meaning. However, the words do differ, and you would not want to substitute one for the other. Invoke is used of putting into effect or calling upon such things as laws, authority, or privilege (ā€œthe principal invoked a rule forbidding students from asking questionsā€). Evoke is primarily used in the sense ā€œto call forth or upā€ and is often found in connection with such things as memories, emotions, or sympathy.

Examples of invoke in a Sentence

Nietzsche is so complex that he can be invoked in support of many outlooks, some of them brutal or nihilistic. — Thomas Nagel, New Republic, 14 Jan. 2002 There are some people who commit murder as a way of invoking the death penalty. Capital punishment can sometimes, then, be equivalent to suicide. — George Freeman Solomon, People, 17 Jan. 1977 We began poring over the typewritten recipes at the dining room table, where I foolishly invoked the name of Julia Child ā€¦ — Gael Greene, New York, 13 Sept. 1971 He invoked the memory of his predecessor. She invoked history to prove her point. He invoked his Fifth Amendment privileges. The suspect invoked his right to an attorney. invoke the authority of the court
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Uber denied knowing about the documents, and Levandowski invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination leading up to a trial. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "How Uberā€™s quest for self-driving tech led to criminal case," 27 Aug. 2019 During their presidencies, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton invoked the necessity of U.S. military involvement in Central America and the Caribbean in order to stop refugee flight to the United States. — Paul A. Kramer, The New Republic, "The Harsh World of Offshore Borders," 8 Aug. 2019 The Trump administration has long said that thereā€™s a right way to seek asylum in the United States: Come to an official port of entry at the border, then invoke the right under U.S. law to humanitarian protection. — Dara Lind, ProPublica, "Asylum-Seekers Who Followed Trump Rule Now Donā€™t Qualify Because of New Trump Rule," 22 July 2019 The figure of the righteous protestant astronaut was epitomized in John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth as part of NASAā€™s Mercury program, who frequently invoked his religious commitments at press conferences. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "Spaceflight and Spirituality, a Complicated Relationship," 16 July 2019 Several black users also criticized Nichols for joyously dancing for an older white man - a dynamic that invokes age-old tropes about the power imbalances between black entertainers and white audiences. — Sameer Rao, baltimoresun.com, "Life after going viral: Baltimore caregiver rejects criticism of dance video," 16 July 2019 In another case this month, Gamble v. US (pdf), there was a spirited dissent by Gorsuch (Ginsburg objected separately) that invoked both Plessy and Korematsu. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The art of throwing shade in a SCOTUS dissent," 20 June 2019 Many in the entertainment industry feel the photograph exploited terrorist iconography that should never be invoked against a president. — Jeffrey Fleishman, chicagotribune.com, "Kathy Griffin made $75 million making people laugh. But the phoneā€™s not ringing," 22 July 2019 Bill Ketron, a politician behind Tennesseeā€™s version of the law, suggested it could be invoked to target the groupā€™s financers after the murder of Heather Heyer at the 2017 Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. — USA Today, "These copycat bills on Sharia law and terrorism have no effect. So why do states keep passing them?," 18 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'invoke.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of invoke

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for invoke

Middle English envoken, from Middle French invoquer, from Latin invocare, from in- + vocare to call, from voc-, vox voice ā€” more at voice

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More Definitions for invoke

invoke

verb
How to pronounce invoke (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of invoke

formal
: to mention (someone or something) in an attempt to make people feel a certain way or have a certain idea in their mind
: to refer to (something) in support of your ideas
: to make use of (a law, a right, etc.)

See the full definition for invoke in the English Language Learners Dictionary

invoke

verb
inĀ·​voke | \ in-Ėˆvōk How to pronounce invoke (audio) \
invoked; invoking

Kids Definition of invoke

1 : to ask for aid or protection (as in prayer)
2 : to call forth by magic invoke spirits
3 : to appeal to as an authority or for support She invoked the Sunday rule as soon as he returned from the skateboard par

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