in ‧ voke AC /ɪnˈvəʊk $ -ˈvoʊk/ BrE AmE verb [transitive] formal
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: invoquer , from Latin invocare , from vocare 'to call' ]
1 . if you invoke a law, rule etc, you say that you are doing something because the law allows or forces you to:
The UN threatened to invoke economic sanctions if the talks were broken off.
2 . to make a particular idea, image, or feeling appear in people’s minds by describing an event or situation, or by talking about a person ⇨ evoke :
a painting that invokes images of the Rocky Mountains
During his speech, he invoked the memory of Harry Truman.
3 . to use a law, principle, or ↑ theory to support your views
4 . to operate a computer program
5 . to ask for help from someone more powerful than you, especially a god:
St. Genevieve is often invoked against plagues.
6 . to make spirits appear by using magic:
invoking the spirits of their ancestors