invoke
/ɪnˈvəʊk/- 1.
To officially use a law, rule, or right to support or justify an action. This is the most common meaning in legal and academic writing.
- The lawyer invoked the Fifth Amendment to protect her client.
- He invoked company policy to refuse the unusual request.
- She invoked her right to remain silent during questioning.
- 2.
To call upon a god, spirit, or higher power for help, protection, or inspiration, often in a religious or ceremonial context.
- The priest invoked the blessing of God before the ceremony.
- Ancient warriors invoked their gods before going into battle.
- 3.
To cause something — a feeling, an image, or a response — to appear or be activated. Often used in academic and literary writing.
- Her speech invoked strong feelings of national pride.
- The policy invokes a clause that limits public access.
Adinary Nuance
Invoke is often confused with two near-neighbors: cite and evoke. When you cite a law or source, you are simply mentioning it as a reference — pointing to it. When you invoke it, you are actively putting it to work to justify or authorize something; the law is not just mentioned, it is being used. This distinction matters enormously in legal and academic writing. Evoke is a different word entirely — it means to bring a memory or feeling to mind (e.g., "the music evoked sadness"), while invoke is about formally calling upon authority or power. As a rule of thumb: you cite a source in a footnote, but you invoke a right in a courtroom.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- viện dẫn
- Spanish
- invocar
- Chinese
- 援引
- Japanese
- 援用する
- Korean
- 원용하다
Etymology
From Latin "invocare," meaning "to call upon," built from "in-" (upon) and "vocare" (to call). It entered English in the late 15th century, first used in religious contexts before broadening into legal and formal use.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between 'invoke' and 'evoke'?
- 'Invoke' means to formally call upon a law, authority, or power to justify something. 'Evoke' means to bring a feeling, memory, or image to mind. They sound similar but are used in very different situations — mix them up in academic writing and it will stand out as an error.
- Is 'invoke' a formal word?
- Yes, 'invoke' is formal and is most common in legal, academic, and official writing. In everyday conversation, people tend to say 'use a rule' or 'fall back on a law' instead. For IELTS writing or essays, 'invoke' is a strong and appropriate choice.
- What does 'invoke the Fifth Amendment' mean?
- It means a person is formally using their legal right under the Fifth Amendment (a US constitutional right) to refuse to answer a question that could incriminate them. More broadly, 'invoking an amendment or clause' means activating a specific legal protection.
- Can 'invoke' be used in academic IELTS essays?
- Yes, absolutely. 'Invoke' is well-suited for academic writing. You might write 'the author invokes the principle of fairness' or 'critics invoke this precedent to challenge the ruling.' It signals a high level of vocabulary precision to an examiner.