as in spells
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
a Siberian shaman muttering mysterious invocations to ward off evil
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Recent Examples of invocations
Why the invocations of Tubman, the readings of Du Bois, the visits from Hamer?
—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
After a while, though, all the professions of sincerity and thanks, the constant invocations of the one true POTUS, and the worshipful exhibits upstairs give the whole place a cultish, nostalgic gleam.
—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
4 June 2026
Yet office work expanded, as recent invocations of the Jevons paradox rightly note.
—
Christopher Marquis,
Time,
30 May 2026
Such rhetoric echoes in official statements as well — in prayers for destruction, in invocations of divine sanction for war and in casual references to catastrophic violence.
—
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Some of these invocations align with Hegseth’s recurring references to the Crusades in the Middle Ages – a centuries-long holy war between Christians and Muslims.
—
Samuel Perry,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
As his invocations crescendoed, so did the music behind him and the Legacy Mass Choir broke into a rousing gospel performance to start the homegoing services.
—
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
In reality, only 17 out of 45 presidents — or 37% — utilized the law, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy organization that in 2022 tracked all Insurrection Act invocations.
—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
15 Jan. 2026
Seneca’s and Cicero’s invocations of humanitas were as double-edged as our own talk of the humanities, pointing at once to a body of knowledge and to a moral choice that learning might inspire.
—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
After a while, though, all the professions of sincerity and thanks, the constant invocations of the one true POTUS, and the worshipful exhibits upstairs give the whole place a cultish, nostalgic gleam.
—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
4 June 2026
Yet office work expanded, as recent invocations of the Jevons paradox rightly note.
—
Christopher Marquis,
Time,
30 May 2026
Such rhetoric echoes in official statements as well — in prayers for destruction, in invocations of divine sanction for war and in casual references to catastrophic violence.
—
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Some of these invocations align with Hegseth’s recurring references to the Crusades in the Middle Ages – a centuries-long holy war between Christians and Muslims.
—
Samuel Perry,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
As his invocations crescendoed, so did the music behind him and the Legacy Mass Choir broke into a rousing gospel performance to start the homegoing services.
—
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
In reality, only 17 out of 45 presidents — or 37% — utilized the law, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy organization that in 2022 tracked all Insurrection Act invocations.
—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
15 Jan. 2026
Seneca’s and Cicero’s invocations of humanitas were as double-edged as our own talk of the humanities, pointing at once to a body of knowledge and to a moral choice that learning might inspire.
—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invocations
Noun
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This is where the sorcerer’s book of spells resurfaces; James and Henry succeed in summoning a playful demon, Goomi (Trey Parker), a kind of Funko Pop!
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Morocco, meanwhile, played really well in spells throughout the group stage but would often fail to really capitalize on its dominance.
Noun
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Circe is able, by means of drugs and incantations, to change humans into wolves, lions, and other animals.
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As prospective farmers struggled to clear forests for rice fields in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Malaya, their efforts might have been accompanied by mystical incantations like this invocation against Iblis, the Devil in Islamic tradition.
Noun
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Morgan and her Judgment Day cronies tried to bribe Danhausen to put curses on their opponents.
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In baseball, curses are no joking matter, and the Curse of the FTD Burger might now have befallen the team.
Cite this Entry
“Invocations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invocations. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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