The phrase 'provoke a discussion' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to encourage people to engage in a conversation or a debate about a particular topic. For example, "Let's provoke a discussion about the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
July describes herself as "consciously feminist", so was it a deliberate attempt to provoke a discussion about women's physicality?
They pass around the newspaper, or maybe one of them has dug up some old publicity shots or handbills, which will inevitably provoke a discussion: Jolson or Cantor?
"The idea was to provoke a discussion and create a little viral activity, and we've done that," said David Axelrod, the president's chief strategist.
My friend wasn't asking any of us to ignore race; he was trying his best to provoke a discussion that just might be unpredictable.
The plans were designed to provoke a discussion with the Premier League and the FA that could ultimately lead to the introduction of a winter break.
It is part of his "public art project," he said, to "provoke a discussion" between the vendors and the tourists who tend to flock to these souvenir tables but know nothing about the controversial stop-and-frisk issue.
This provoked a discussion distinguishing between the creation of a true artist and mere mechanical expertise.
Quite often that provokes a discussion on the affordability of buying a home.
The findings provoked a discussion on the need for managing variation in water quality samples when attempting to develop successful linkages between landscape indices and stream conditions.
But its experiment provoked a discussion that showed internet users are divided over the ethics of ad-blocking – and of ad-blocking-blocking.
But weeks of newspaper headlines, and the presence of a reporter, later provoked a discussion of social work and its rewards and perils.
