instigate
Translation
to instigate, to provoke, to incite, to initiate
Examples
He was accused of instigating the riot.
He was accused of instigating the riot.
The new policy instigated a wave of protests.
The new policy instigated a wave of protests.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to cause (sth.) to happen or begin. The new policy instigated a wave of protests.
((sb.)) ((to do sth.)) to encourage (sb.) to do (sth.) wrong. He instigated his friends to protest.
Similar Words
Synonyms: provoke, incite, foment; Antonyms: quell, suppress
Etymology
From Latin 'instigare' meaning 'to urge on'. It comes from 'in-' (in, on) + '*stigare' (to prick, goad).
Memory Tips
Think of 'stinging' someone into action. To 'in-stigate' is to 'sting' someone from 'in'side to do something, usually negative.