Incite Someone To Do vs. Incite Doing
Cambridge documents incite + object + to-infinitive for encouraging a person to do something unpleasant or violent, and incite + object + to + noun for related targets. The verb is semantically restricted toward encouraging unpleasant, violent, or otherwise problematic action; do not generalize it to neutral encouragement.
Use “incite someone to do something” when the action is expressed as a verb; do not treat “incite doing” as the parallel person-plus-action construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| person is urged, provoked, or encouraged toward an action | incite + person + to-infinitive | Use the documented person-plus-action construction. |
| action named directly without an object | incite + -ing | Do not treat this as the parallel replacement for the person-plus-action construction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the person or group being provoked to perform an action?
If yes: Use “incite someone to do something.”
If no: Recast the sentence rather than assuming bare “incite doing” is an equivalent complement pattern.
Caveat: This guide addresses the complement pattern; legal or policy uses of “incitement” may carry specialized definitions beyond the grammar point.
Examples
The speech incited the crowd to protest.
The object names who is incited; the to-infinitive names the action.
They were accused of inciting others to break the rules.
The documented object + to-infinitive pattern is preserved.
The post incited readers to respond angrily.
The people affected are explicitly named before the infinitive.
Further guidance
Boundary
The verb is semantically restricted toward encouraging unpleasant, violent, or otherwise problematic action; do not generalize it to neutral encouragement.
Construction
Cambridge documents incite + object + to-infinitive for encouraging a person to do something unpleasant or violent, and incite + object + to + noun for related targets.
Decision
Use “incite someone to do something” when the action is expressed as a verb; do not treat “incite doing” as the parallel person-plus-action construction.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- incite someone to something/do something — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Incite + object + to-infinitive and incite + object + to + noun patterns