Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An agent provocateur.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun One who engages in
provocative behavior. - noun An
undercover agent whoincites suspected persons topartake in orcommit criminal acts.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a secret agent who incites suspected persons to commit illegal acts
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Housh, an Internet activist and provocateur, is not an easy guy to characterize.
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Assuming for the sake of the argument that the website (which liked the sign) did not falsify the date of the post, that the picture was not photoshopped, and that the demonstrator was not a leftie agent provocateur, is that really enough to justify tens of thousands of smirking [expletive deleteds] like Dilan Esper calling all tea partiers ‘teabaggers’ ever after and insisting that they asked for it and that they took the name themselves?
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Q: You're often called a provocateur as a director; are you upset if people don't walk out of your films?
Brad Balfour: Defiant Danish Director Lars von Trier Tackles Antichrist 2009
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To this day I do not know whether the man was a lunatic, an imposter seeking money, or an agent provocateur, that is, one who imagined that he might through me inveigle M. Zola into an illegal act which would lead to prosecution and imprisonment.
With Zola in England Vizetelly, Ernest A 1899
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Knepper, an openly gay political science major and a two-year columnist with the Eagle, is known as a provocateur, according to CASJC member Drew Franklin.
ABC News: ABCNews 2010
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The so called provocateur that wrote the story and fabricated the story needs to be sued until he can't write ever again.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Scott Harshbarger 2010
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Reasons to be Pretty is currently running at the Lyceum Theater, is known as a provocateur, but his show took things to the next level during the play's April 5 matinee.
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Dr. John Sullivan is well known as a provocateur, a characteristic which has both guided and distinguished our work throughout the years.
XtremeRecruiting.tv 2009
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On the other hand, if your goal is act as an fool provocateur, which is what many, if not most of us, believe, then you won't.
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* But I'm more inclined to agree with Chris Cillizza, who says she's just playing her familiar role of "provocateur," though "demagogue" might be a better word for it.
Happy Hour Roundup Greg Sargent 2011
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