Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To initiate or bring about, often by inciting.
- transitive verb To urge on; goad.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To stimulate to an action or course; incite to do something; set or goad on; urge: generally in a bad sense: as, to
instigate one to commit a crime. - To stir up; foment; bring about by incitement or persuasion: as, to
instigate crime or insurrection; to instigate a quarrel.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To goad or urge forward; to set on; to provoke; to incite; -- used chiefly with reference to evil actions.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
goad orurge forward; toset on ; toprovoke ; toincite .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb serve as the inciting cause of
- verb provoke or stir up
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Did all those taped messages and cell calls instigate a double homicide?
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One cafe owner, who asked not to be quoted by name, was called to the local police station in the Gulou, or Drum Tower, area and warned that "overseas reactionary forces" might try to "instigate" some actions on Friday night.
On eve of Nobel ceremony, China cracks down and lashes out Keith B. Richburg 2010
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One cafe owner, who asked not to be quoted by name, was called to the local police station in the Gulou, or Drum Tower, area and warned that "overseas reactionary forces" might try to "instigate" some actions on Friday night.
On eve of Nobel ceremony, China cracks down and lashes out Keith B. Richburg 2010
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Areas like Atlanta down through Tampa and parts of Florida will see some heavy rainfall today and that kind of instigate some delays there.
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He had a funny sort of job it seemed to us, going around the several counties there and what appeared to be trying to "instigate" something with any group or anyone, my husband included.
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Scratch the word "instigate" as is true, may not be the appropriate word.
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Scratch the word "instigate" as is true, may not be the appropriate word.
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Scratch the word "instigate" as is true, may not be the appropriate word.
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Scratch the word "instigate" as is true, may not be the appropriate word.
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Scratch the word "instigate" as is true, may not be the appropriate word.
sionnach commented on the word instigate
ready-made fence entrance
(Lewis M Gediman: Semantricks)
January 8, 2009
mollusque commented on the word instigate
So that's how bilby keeps escaping.
April 28, 2009
reesetee commented on the word instigate
Whose turn is it to watch?
May 2, 2009
mollusque commented on the word instigate
Umm, it was your turn.
Has anyone seen bilby?
May 2, 2009
reesetee commented on the word instigate
Oops.
May 2, 2009