"agent provocateur" meaning in English

See agent provocateur in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈeɪ.dʒənt ˌpɹəʊ.vɒk.æ.tʊə(ɹ)/ [Anglicised, UK] Forms: agents provocateurs [plural]
Etymology: Borrowed from French agent provocateur (literally “provocative agent”). Etymology templates: {{bor|en|fr|agent provocateur|lit=provocative agent}} French agent provocateur (literally “provocative agent”) Head templates: {{en-noun|agents provocateurs}} agent provocateur (plural agents provocateurs)
  1. A person who secretly disrupts a group's activities from within the group, particularly by encouraging or committing illegal acts to discredit the group or expose them to prosecution; an instigator, troublemaker. Categories (topical): Crime, People Related terms: false flag Translations (a person who disrupts a group's activities from within): պրովոկատոր (provokator) (Armenian), սադրիչ (sadričʻ) (Armenian), agente zirikatzaile (Basque), аге́нт-провока́тор (agént-provokátor) [masculine] (Bulgarian), agent provokatér [masculine] (Czech), agent-provocateur [masculine] (Dutch), provocateur [masculine] (Dutch), provoka agento (Esperanto), provokaattori (Finnish), agent provocateur (French), Agent Provocateur [masculine] (German), Provokateur [masculine] (German), סמוי (samúy) [masculine] (Hebrew), מושתל (mushtál) [masculine] (Hebrew), פרובוקטור (provokátor) [masculine] (Hebrew), (beépített / civil ruhás rendőrségi) provokátor/provokatőr (Hungarian), bujtogató (Hungarian), felbujtó (Hungarian), agen provokator (Indonesian), agent provocatore [masculine] (Italian), agente provocatrice [feminine] (Italian), プロバカートル (Japanese), ejen provokasi (Malay), agen provokasi (Malay), آژان پرووکاتور (âžân provokâtor) (Persian), prowokator (Polish), agente provocador [masculine] (Portuguese), agent provocator [masculine] (Romanian), провокатор (provokator) (Russian), agente provocador (Spanish), lockfågel [common-gender] (Swedish), ajan provokatör (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-agent_provocateur-en-noun-tKacTRSE Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for agent provocateur meaning in English (6.9kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "agent provocateur",
        "lit": "provocative agent"
      },
      "expansion": "French agent provocateur (literally “provocative agent”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from French agent provocateur (literally “provocative agent”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "agents provocateurs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "agents provocateurs"
      },
      "expansion": "agent provocateur (plural agents provocateurs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Crime",
          "orig": "en:Crime",
          "parents": [
            "Criminal law",
            "Society",
            "Law",
            "All topics",
            "Justice",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 50",
          "text": "Suspecting that the man was an agent provocateur sent by the Prince, Pottinger told him that regrettably he had neither the knowledge nor the authority to instruct him in this or any other religion.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 March 25, Nadine El-Enany, The Guardian",
          "text": "The criminalisation of protest has been aided by the director of public prosecution's recent guidelines on prosecuting protesters, which fail to account for the role of the police in prompting violence at demonstrations through tactics such as kettling, the use of batons, agents provocateurs and undercover policing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person who secretly disrupts a group's activities from within the group, particularly by encouraging or committing illegal acts to discredit the group or expose them to prosecution; an instigator, troublemaker."
      ],
      "id": "en-agent_provocateur-en-noun-tKacTRSE",
      "links": [
        [
          "instigator",
          "instigator"
        ],
        [
          "troublemaker",
          "troublemaker"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "false flag"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "provokator",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "պրովոկատոր"
        },
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "sadričʻ",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "սադրիչ"
        },
        {
          "code": "eu",
          "lang": "Basque",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "agente zirikatzaile"
        },
        {
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "agént-provokátor",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "аге́нт-провока́тор"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "agent provokatér"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "agent-provocateur"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "provocateur"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "provoka agento"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "provokaattori"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "agent provocateur"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Agent Provocateur"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Provokateur"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "samúy",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "סמוי"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "mushtál",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "מושתל"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "provokátor",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "פרובוקטור"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "(beépített / civil ruhás rendőrségi) provokátor/provokatőr"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "bujtogató"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "felbujtó"
        },
        {
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "agen provokator"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "agent provocatore"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "agente provocatrice"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "プロバカートル"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "ejen provokasi"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "agen provokasi"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "âžân provokâtor",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "آژان پرووکاتور"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "prowokator"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "agente provocador"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "agent provocator"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "provokator",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "провокатор"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "agente provocador"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "lockfågel"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
          "word": "ajan provokatör"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈeɪ.dʒənt ˌpɹəʊ.vɒk.æ.tʊə(ɹ)/",
      "tags": [
        "Anglicised",
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "agent provocateur"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "agent provocateur",
        "lit": "provocative agent"
      },
      "expansion": "French agent provocateur (literally “provocative agent”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from French agent provocateur (literally “provocative agent”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "agents provocateurs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "agents provocateurs"
      },
      "expansion": "agent provocateur (plural agents provocateurs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "false flag"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms borrowed from French",
        "English terms derived from French",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Crime",
        "en:People"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 50",
          "text": "Suspecting that the man was an agent provocateur sent by the Prince, Pottinger told him that regrettably he had neither the knowledge nor the authority to instruct him in this or any other religion.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 March 25, Nadine El-Enany, The Guardian",
          "text": "The criminalisation of protest has been aided by the director of public prosecution's recent guidelines on prosecuting protesters, which fail to account for the role of the police in prompting violence at demonstrations through tactics such as kettling, the use of batons, agents provocateurs and undercover policing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person who secretly disrupts a group's activities from within the group, particularly by encouraging or committing illegal acts to discredit the group or expose them to prosecution; an instigator, troublemaker."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "instigator",
          "instigator"
        ],
        [
          "troublemaker",
          "troublemaker"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈeɪ.dʒənt ˌpɹəʊ.vɒk.æ.tʊə(ɹ)/",
      "tags": [
        "Anglicised",
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "provokator",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "պրովոկատոր"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "sadričʻ",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "սադրիչ"
    },
    {
      "code": "eu",
      "lang": "Basque",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "agente zirikatzaile"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "agént-provokátor",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "аге́нт-провока́тор"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "agent provokatér"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "agent-provocateur"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "provocateur"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "provoka agento"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "provokaattori"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "agent provocateur"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Agent Provocateur"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Provokateur"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "samúy",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "סמוי"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "mushtál",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "מושתל"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "provokátor",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "פרובוקטור"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "(beépített / civil ruhás rendőrségi) provokátor/provokatőr"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "bujtogató"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "felbujtó"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "agen provokator"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "agent provocatore"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "agente provocatrice"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "プロバカートル"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "ejen provokasi"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "agen provokasi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "âžân provokâtor",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "آژان پرووکاتور"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "prowokator"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "agente provocador"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "agent provocator"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "provokator",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "провокатор"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "agente provocador"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "lockfågel"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "a person who disrupts a group's activities from within",
      "word": "ajan provokatör"
    }
  ],
  "word": "agent provocateur"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (4d5d0bb and edd475d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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