foment

About 0.25 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. verb To incite or cause troublesome acts; to encourage; to instigate.

   He was arrested for fomenting a riot; after all, it's bad enough being in a riot but starting one is much worse.

2. verb To apply a poultice to; to bathe with a cloth or sponge.
3. noun Fomentation.

Similar words

stir up agitate incite incitement instigate stimulate arouse excite stir provoke

Often followed by

a the and trouble revolution rebellion discord an unrest

Word family

fomented fomenter fomenters fomenting foments