Definitions for instigate
ˈɪn stɪˌgeɪtin·sti·gate

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.7 / 3 votes

1. incite, instigate, set off, stir upverb

   provoke or stir up

   "incite a riot"; "set off great unrest among the people"

2. prompt, inspire, instigateverb

   serve as the inciting cause of

   "She prompted me to call my relatives"

WiktionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. instigateverb

   To goad or urge forward; to set on; to provoke; to incite.

   He hath only instigated his blackest agents to the very extent of their malignity. -Bp. Warburton.

2. Etymology: From the instigatus, past participle of instigare, from prefix in- in + *, akin to stinguere. Akin to stechen, stick.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To INSTIGATEverb

   To urge to ill; to provoke or incite to a crime.

   Etymology: instigo, Lat. instiguer, French.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. instigate

   Instigate typically means to incite, provoke, encourage, or initiate a particular action, behavior, or event. It often suggests an intention to cause trouble or disturbance.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Instigateverb

   to goad or urge forward; to set on; to provoke; to incite; -- used chiefly with reference to evil actions; as to instigate one to a crime

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Instigate

   in′sti-gāt, v.t. to urge on: to set on: to foment.—ns. Instigā′tion, the act of inciting: impulse, esp. to evil; In′stigator, an inciter, generally in a bad sense. [L. instigāre, -ātum.]

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce instigate?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say instigate in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of instigate in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of instigate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of instigate in a Sentence

1. Karen Bradley:

   We need to ensure that where a serious crime has been committed, the police are informed and can instigate an appropriate multi-agency response to protect girls and bring perpetrators to justice.

2. Dean Alexander:

   Unfortunately I think it is more of what we can expect in the future -- whether it is copy cats or whether you have, again, either ISIS-aligned or inspired or ISIS-directed individuals, it might instigate ISIS to take a more proactive approach to send individuals here to the U.S. or to try to recruit.

3. Tony Blinken:

   [Putin] managed to sow doubt about our electoral system. He managed to help defeat the candidate that he despised Hillary Clinton. He managed to get the first national security adviser adviser fired, he managed to instigate instigate multiple counterintelligence investigations and now he's managed in effect to cause the president to fire the FBI director who is investigating him because of concerns about collusion with Russia.

4. Karen Bradley:

   The duty is an important step forward in tackling this practice, and we believe that it will make sure professionals have the confidence to confront FGM, we need to ensure that where a serious crime has been committed, the police are informed and can instigate an appropriate multi-agency response to protect girls and bring perpetrators to justice.

5. Drew Thompson:

   Honestly, this isn't a good time for Xi Jinping to provoke a military conflict right before the 20th party congress. It's in Xi Jinping's interest to manage this rationally and not instigate a crisis on top of all the other crises Xi Jinping has to deal with.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=instigate
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Instigate
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=instigate
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instigate
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=instigate
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=instigate