Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To call on (a higher power) for assistance, support, or inspiration.
  • transitive verb To appeal to or cite in support or justification.
  • transitive verb To call for earnestly; solicit.
  • transitive verb To summon with incantations; conjure.
  • transitive verb To resort to; use or apply.
  • transitive verb Computers To activate or start (a program, for example).

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To address in supplication; call on for protection or aid: as, to invoke the Supreme Being; to invoke the Muses.
  • To call for with earnest desire; make supplication or prayer for: as, to invoke God's mercy.
  • In law, to call for judicially: as, to invoke depositions or evidence.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To call on for aid or protection; to invite earnestly or solemnly; to summon; to address in prayer; to solicit or demand by invocation; to implore.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To call upon (a person, especially a god) for help, assistance or guidance.
  • verb transitive To appeal for validation to a (notably cited) authority.
  • verb transitive To conjure up with incantations.
  • verb transitive To bring about as an inevitable consequence.
  • verb transitive To solicit, petition for, appeal to a favorable attitude.
  • verb transitive, computing To cause (a program or subroutine) to execute.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb request earnestly (something from somebody); ask for aid or protection
  • verb summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
  • verb cite as an authority; resort to

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English envoken, from Old French invoquer, from Latin invocāre : in-, in; see in– + vocāre, to call; see wekw- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English invoken, from Middle French invoquer (=modern French), from Latin invocare ("to call upon"), itself from in- + vocare 'to call'

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word invoke.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Invoking Your name

    does not help me to see You.

    I'm blinded by the light of Your face.

    Longing for your lips

    does not bring them any closer.

    What veils You from me

    is my memory of You.

    Translation by Azima Melita Kolin

    and Maryam Mafi

    Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved

    HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1999

    March 13, 2009

  • *whirls*

    March 13, 2009