the act of doing or saying something deliberately in order to make somebody angry or upset; something that is done or said to cause this挑衅；刺激；激怒- under provocation He reacted violently only under provocation.只因为被激怒，他才暴力相向。🔊🔊
- without provocation The terrorists can strike at any time without provocation.恐怖分子可能无缘无故地随时攻击。🔊🔊
- She bursts into tears at the slightest provocation.稍一招惹，她就大哭起来。🔊🔊
- So far the police have refused to respond to their provocations.截至目前为止，警方并未对他们的挑衅作出反应。🔊🔊
Extra Examples- She attacked him without provocation.她无缘无故地就攻击他。
- The defendant was not acting under provocation.被告并非是在被激怒的情况下做出此举动的。
- The victim's conduct had involved an element of provocation.受害者的行为有些挑衅的成分。
- Words alone can constitute provocation.言语本身就能构成挑衅。
Topics Opinion and argumentc2, Feelingsc2Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective… of provocationverb + provocationpreposition- under provocation
- without provocation
phrases- at the slightest provocation
See full entry Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from Latin provocatio(n-), from the verb provocare ‘challenge’, from pro- ‘forth’ + vocare ‘to call’.