What is another word for provoke ?

make someone's blood boil

To deliberately make (someone) annoyed or angry

get on someone's nerves

get someone's back up

get under one's skin

hack off

send into a rage

try someone's patience

give someone the hump

make blood boil

put someone's back up

stir up

wind up

get a rise out of

get in someone's hair

raise someone's hackles

ruffle someone's feathers

drive round the twist

unnerve

discomfit

discomfort

give someone a hard time

get up someone's nose

get under someone's skin

chivvy

give someone grief

make someone's hackles rise

rattle someone's cage

put someone's nose out of joint

get someone's dander up

get on someone's wick

criticize^US

criticise^UK

get on somebody's nerves

scandalize^US

scandalise^UK

agonize^US

rub you up the wrong way

keep after

breathe down someone's neck

agonise^UK

victimize^US

be a thorn in someone's flesh

get someone's hackles up

make your hackles rise

preoccupy

set one's teeth on edge

victimise^UK

be a pain in the neck

pother

tire

be a thorn in someone's side

poke fun at

take the mickey out of

drive you up the wall

put somebody's nose out of joint

mess with

add insult to injury

get up somebody's nose

get on the wrong side of

rattle someone's chain

put somebody's back up

blight

assail

push one's buttons

rub one the wrong way

stroke someone's hair the wrong way

galvanize^US

put your nose out of joint

be like a red rag to a bull

ruffle one's feathers

galvanise^UK

push someon's buttons

appal^UK

appall^US

drive you to distraction

drive you round the twist

drive you round the bend

make someone scratch their head

lie heavy on

occupy someone's thoughts

prey on someone's mind

interrupt

drive you off your head

give the cold shoulder

drive you out of your mind

make somebody's blood boil

drive somebody up the wall

make fed up

stump

put into a flap

put someone off their stroke

cause someone to lose their composure

exhaust someone's patience

make one's hackles rise

get on someone's case

lead someone a merry dance

tyrannize^US

tread on someone's toes

dominate

tyrannise^UK

enslave

hurt somebody's feelings

hurt someone's feelings

slap in the face

twist the knife

rub salt in the wound

dishonor^US

keep someone hanging on

make someone's mouth water

dishonour^UK

get on someone's back

satirize^US

add fuel to the flames

to make matters worse

go from bad to worse

rub salt in the wounds

satirise^UK

demoralize^US

demoralise^UK

traumatize^US

terrorize^US

terrorise^UK

traumatise^UK

pressurize^US

pressurise^UK

weigh heavily on someone's mind

weigh heavily on one's mind

make things hot for someone

make it hot for someone

belabour^UK

belabor^US

breath down someone's neck

cause inconvenience to

lie heavy on someone's mind

weigh heavy on someone's mind

come back to

stay with

be a weight on one's mind

make severe demands on

put a strain on

tire out

create difficulties for

set your teeth on edge

rasp one's nerves

prey on one's mind

be a weight on someone's mind

bring pressure to bear on

brutalize^US

brutalise^UK

knock the wind out of

make someone's stomach rise

make someone's gorge rise

wreck

wreak

befall

cause someone difficulty

discommodate

dampen someone's hopes

put someone to trouble

catch

mess with someone's head

give one the business

make someone go out of his way

knock the stuffing out of

harsh someone's mellow

give someone the blues

make someone fed up

make desolate

make your heart bleed

pour cold water on

cast a gloom upon

bring tears to someone's eyes

run down

make gloomy

bear down

make someone's heart bleed

make sad

reduce to tears

knock sideways

bring tears to your eyes

keep under

dampen someone's spirits

dash someone's hopes

break someone's spirit

throw cold water on

break someone's heart

cause to feel emotional strain

cause to feel mental strain

cause to feel nauseous

make someone want to throw up

jeopardize^US

have an adverse effect on

jeopardise^UK

more ❯

“I tell myself to stay calm and not to let anyone provoke me.”

Verb

To bring about

galvanise^UK

galvanize^US

catalyze^US

catalyse^UK

energize^US

energise^UK

invigorate^US

envigorate^UK

incentivize^US

incentivise^UK

fire the imagination of

realize^US

fire the enthusiasm of

instil^UK

instill^US

realise^UK

organize^US

organise^UK

be partly responsible for

mobilize^US

mobilise^UK

throw down the gauntlet

start the ball rolling

favour^UK

favor^US

result

brace

act as an incentive to

have as a consequence

give the incentive to

act as a incentive to

lay the foundations of

pressurise^UK

pressurize^US

add fuel to the flames

revitalize^US

give a shot in the arm

lay the first stone of

take one's breath away

jar

give someone a charge

take your breath away

fire someone's imagination

magnetize^US

magnetise^UK

stimulate spiritually

boost someone's morale

stiffen the resolve of

give shot in arm

psych up

give hope to

give a shot in the arm to

revitalise^UK

sensitize^US

sensitise^UK

be grounds for

take in

put someone up to something

fulfil^UK

finalize^US

leave the door open to

fulfill^US

finalise^UK

throw down the gauntlet to

score

knock out

stick in someone's mind

make an impression on

more ❯

“Sometimes, it takes a crisis to provoke change.”

Verb

To stimulate or incite (someone) to do or feel something, especially by arousing anger in them

pressurise^UK

pressurize^US

“Green was actually responding to an interrogation that was meant to provoke him into uttering nonsense.”

Verb

To speak to or treat with disrespect or scornful abuse

dishonour^UK

dishonor^US

treat disrespectfully

call names

hurt someone's feelings

scandalize^US

scandalise^UK

appall^US

appal^UK

satirize^US

satirise^UK

put someone's nose out of joint

put someone's back up

take the piss out of

drag through the mud

drag through the mire

traumatize^US

criticise^UK

criticize^US

stigmatize^US

traumatise^UK

hurt somebody's feelings

stigmatise^UK

take the mickey out of

run a smear campaign against

blacken someone's name

victimize^US

blacken the character of

raise eyebrows amongst

cause raised eyebrows

cause a few raised eyebrows amongst

give a zinger

give the cold shoulder

victimise^UK

make someone's hackles rise

ruffle someone's feathers

raise someone's hackles

hector

attack somebody's dignity

demoralise^UK

demoralize^US

make cutting remarks about

paralyse^UK

take the wind out of your sails

paralyze^US

make someone's blood run cold

numb

devastate

thunderstrike

raise someone's eyebrows

set someone back on their heels

take aback

electrify

knock for six

shake out of your complacency

give someone a turn

hit like ton of bricks

swipe at

reflect badly on

besmear

give someone a hard time

disfavour^UK

damage someone's reputation

disfavor^US

destroy someone's credibility

disesteem

take rug out from under

tread on someone's toes

defame someone's character

blacken name

sully someone's reputation

run smear campaign

more ❯

Verb

Bring upon oneself

Verb

knock the chip off one's shoulder

Invite to do battle

throw down the gauntlet

do something about it

invite to debate

put up a fight against

come face to face with

face with

meet eyeball-to-eyeball

throw down the gauntlet at

take the bull by the horns

hold your own

stand your ground

stay the course

put a bold face on it

more ❯

Verb

To offend the moral feelings of

appal^UK

scandalise^UK

scandalize^US

traumatise^UK

traumatize^US

appall^US

paralyse^UK

set someone back on their heels

paralyze^US

raise someone's eyebrows

throw a curve

completely surprise

knock for six

shake out of your complacency

give a turn

give someone a turn

hit like ton of bricks

take the wind out of your sails

make someone's blood run cold

stop someone in their tracks

knock the stuffing out of

demoralize^US

demoralise^UK

take someone's breath away

blow one's mind

hit like a ton of bricks

put the wind up someone

take your breath away

knock over with feather

boggle the mind

turn your stomach

dissatisfy

knock down with a feather

annoy

make someone's hair stand on end

galvanize^US

galvanise^UK

take one's breath away

distress greatly

boggle someone's mind

break someone's heart

mess with someone's head

cauterize^US

make someone feel nauseous

make your gorge rise

make someone want to throw up

make your hair stand on end

knock the stuffing out of someone

delight

make emotional

cause to be at a stand

make someone scratch their head

sweep someone off their feet

anesthetize^US

cauterise^UK

terrorize^US

terrorise^UK

fill with consternation

put out of countenance

rattle one's cage

put someone off their stride

dishonor^US

dishonour^UK

raise eyebrows amongst

cause raised eyebrows

be offensive to

make someone feel sick

make your flesh creep

make flesh crawl

give you the creeps

cause a few raised eyebrows amongst

hypnotize^US

hypnotise^UK

take somebody's breath away

make someone's head spin

catch somebody off balance

put into a flap

put someone off their stroke

catch somebody unawares

cause someone to lose their composure

baulk^UK

balk^US

be too much for

put at a loss

bring someone up short

knock one's socks off

immobilize^US

immobilise^UK

scare someone out of their wits

put the wind up

put the fear of God into

frighten the life out of

scare the pants off

scare the bejesus out of

put chill on

throw into a panic

scare the living daylights out of

throw into a blue funk

more ❯

Verb

To hold or engage the attention of

enthral^UK

hypnotise^UK

hypnotize^US

interest

mesmerise^UK

mesmerize^US

enthrall^US