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evoke or invoke?
Don’t feel bad if you have difficulty remembering the difference between evoke and invoke, as the words are quite similar in many ways and have considerable overlap in meaning. However, the words do differ, and you would not want to substitute one for the other. Invoke is used of putting into effect or calling upon such things as laws, authority, or privilege (“the principal invoked a rule forbidding students from asking questions”). Evoke is primarily used in the sense “to call forth or up” and is often found in connection with such things as memories, emotions, or sympathy.
Examples of evoke in a Sentence
Anna Tingley, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025
Murton provides details of the shocking conditions at Tucker, evoking comparisons to the slave plantations of the Old South.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
Similar to the sheer tights trend, lace nail art evokes the same dainty and sexy vibes of a lace pattern—perfect to pair with matching undergarments.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2025
The latter option will almost always evoke a smile from Witherspoon, who was drafted the same day as Smith-Njigba, the league’s leader in receiving yards this season and a Pro Bowler for the second straight year.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for evoke
Cite this Entry
“Evoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evoke. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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