invoke
- 01 C1 Advanced
to use a law, rule, or principle to support an argument or justify an action.
to appeal to or cite a law, treaty, or principle as an authority for an action or in support of an argument.
Simple“The police decided to invoke a special law to stop the protest.”
In context“The government chose to invoke the emergency powers act, citing a direct threat to national security as justification for the restriction of movement.”
UsageTakes a direct object, usually a specific law, clause, or right.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
to call on a god or a higher power for help or protection.
to call upon a deity or spirit for aid, protection, or inspiration.
Simple“In the old story, the sailors invoke the gods to save them from the storm.”
In context“The priest began the ceremony by invoking the spirits of the ancestors to bless the new harvest.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to make a computer program or a specific part of it start working.
to cause a program, subroutine, or function to execute.
Simple“You can invoke the search function by pressing a shortcut on your keyboard.”
In context“The script is designed to invoke the cleanup routine automatically whenever the system memory usage exceeds eighty percent.”
UsageOften used in the context of command-line interfaces or programming APIs.
- 04 C2 Proficiency
to make someone think of a particular image, memory, or feeling.
to call forth or summon a mental image, emotion, or memory.
Simple“The author's words invoke a sense of mystery and fear.”
In context“The architect's design was intended to invoke the grandeur of ancient cathedrals while maintaining a modern aesthetic.”
PitfallThe painting invokes memories of my childhood. The painting evokes memories of my childhood.While similar, 'evoke' is more common for feelings and memories; 'invoke' usually implies a more active appeal to an authority or power.
Usage invoke principle
“Hichilema’s team furiously denied the claims, invoking Lungu’s treatment of Hichilema during the last election.”
“Fisher writes that Straus used to invoke an old Hebrew proverb : “Money given in health is gold.”
From Middle English *invoken, envoken, borrowed from Old French envoquer, from Latin invocāre (“to call upon”), itself from in- + vocare (“to call”). Doublet of invocate.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.