lexicow

invoke

/ɪnˈvoʊk//ɪnˈvəʊk/·verb
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Definition

To invoke something is to call it up deliberately and put it to use. A lawyer invokes a clause; a writer invokes a famous name to lend weight; a leader invokes national pride to rally a crowd. In its older, almost magical sense, to invoke is to summon — to call a power or presence into being by naming it. Across both senses the idea is the same: you reach for something larger than yourself and bring it forward to act on your behalf.

Examples

  • The defence tried to invoke an obscure clause in order to refute the charge.
  • Politicians often invoke a prevalent fear in order to justify sweeping new powers.
  • The poem invokes the sea as a witness to everything the speaker cannot say.

Collocations

invoke a law·invoke the right to·invoke authority·invoke an image of·invoke the name of

Synonyms

cite·appeal to·call upon·summon·conjure

Antonyms

waive·revoke

Word family

invocation (noun)

In TOEFL & IELTS

Mostly academic and legal. 'Invoke a rule/right/principle' means to cite it as the basis for an action — common in TOEFL law and history passages. Distinguish it from 'evoke' (to call up a feeling or memory): you invoke a statute, but a smell evokes a memory. The noun is invocation.