incite

verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

transitive verb

: to move to action : stir up : spur on : urge on

incitant

in-ˈsī-tᵊnt 

noun

incitement

in-ˈsīt-mənt 

noun

inciter noun

Synonyms

• abet
• brew
• ferment
• foment
• instigate
• pick
• provoke
• raise
• stir (up)
• whip (up)

Choose the Right Synonym for incite

incite, instigate, abet, foment mean to spur to action.

incite stresses a stirring up and urging on, and may or may not imply initiating.

inciting a riot

instigate definitely implies responsibility for initiating another's action and often connotes underhandedness or evil intention.

instigated a conspiracy

abet implies both assisting and encouraging.

aiding and abetting the enemy

foment implies persistence in goading.

fomenting rebellion

Examples of incite in a Sentence

The news incited widespread fear and paranoia.

the rock band's failure to show up incited a riot, as the crowd had waited for hours

Recent Examples on the Web

That road’s proximity alone seems to incite drivers to gun through lights, career through turns, and attempt to swerve around sluggish amblers. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 13 Nov. 2024

Of the seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump for inciting insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, only three will return to Congress next year: Collins and Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Bill Cassidy (La.). —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2024

The issue incited unsubstantiated rumors from fans across X that YouTube suppressed the video in its search function. —Stephen Pastis, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

Related article 29 children may be sentenced to death for protesting against cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria The accused had faced charges including treason and inciting a military coup and had been arraigned in batches of 76 and 43 last Friday. —Reuters, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French inciter, from Latin incitare, from in- + citare to put in motion — more at cite

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

incite

verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to move to action : stir up

inciter noun

Medical Definition

incite

transitive verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to bring into being : induce to exist or occur

organisms that readily incited antibody formation

Legal Definition

incite

transitive verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to urge on

incite a riot

incitement noun