provoke into

provoke (one) into (doing something)

To incite, stir, or induce one into taking some action. You shouldn't have let the boss provoke you into quitting—now you won't be entitled to any severance pay! They provoked me into retaliating, which gave them the justification they needed to arrest me.See also: provoke

provoke someone into something

to incite someone into doing something. The soldiers sought to provoke the demonstrators into starting a riot. They provoked us into leaving.See also: provoke