instigate

“You always hear, ‘Don’t poke the bear, don’t instigate them,’ but that’s not how you deal with a bully,” Soto-Martínez replied.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Abby suspected Reynolds had his own reasons for urging Ned to remove her: to instigate the sale of Fidelity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

"We are against all scenarios that aim to instigate a civil war in Iran, that target ethnic or religious fault lines," Fidan told journalists in Istanbul.

From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026

Hush, of Leith, Edinburgh, was said to have "failed to instigate a proper tendering process" for work Oricom secured.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2025

To me, it seemed like she had just wanted to instigate something negative.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore

He instigates them, and pedantically reminds her of the rules, but his surprise and irritation become conflagrations of rage as Fonsia wins hand after hand, remaining placid and mildly abashed at her luck.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The gene proved very active in the habenula, a region of the cichlid’s brain that registers fear and instigates movement.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 24, 2024

For any adaptive behaviour associated with consciousness, there could be a nonconscious mechanism that instigates the same behaviour.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 7, 2023

Wombat, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge; she instigates Marion’s return to Indy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2023

It seems to be in the nature of biologic information that it not only stores itself up as energy but also instigates a search for more.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

The incident, which Beijing said was instigated by Philippine personnel, sparked a round of condemnation from Manila's allies.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Beijing said the Philippines instigated the incident by sending men in small rubber boats to approach their vessel.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Robertson said there was no dispute Patel's actions had seriously departed from professional standards but submitted the relationship was instigated by Patient A and "largely driven by her through the ongoing threats and blackmail".

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

At 4 Nations last February, the Americans traveled to Montreal, instigated three fights in the first nine seconds in front of a hostile crowd—and emerged victorious.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026

Lawrence replied defensively that “the radio-sodium experiments were instigated by me alone,” adding, “I did suggest looking for artificial radioactivity this way and actively supervised the experiments.”

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Kaplan accused her of instigating the investigation, and began to strip her of managerial authority, the complaint says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Across the pond, the people most affected by the unrest, and its instigating events, are not having any of it.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

Paz's government accuses him of instigating the unrest.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

That was held up as a great breach of etiquette, instigating calls for additional officials and even video reviews in a sport where competitors have traditionally called their own fouls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026

I was looking for other words for inciting and instigating work, and came upon “to egg on.”

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas