provo

plural provos

1. Alternative letter-case form of Provo (“member of Dutch counterculture movement”).

   In this respect, they lag behind Amsterdam's provos, Western Europe's hippies, who once tried to prove a point about communal property: […]

   1967, Joe David Brown, editor, The Hippies, New York: Time, Inc, page 22

1. historicalA Dutch counterculture movement of the 1960s.

plural Provos · alternative provo

1. historicalA member of this movement.

   ‘Dude, we want to make a revolution!’ protested one German Provo.

   2023, Dorian Lynskey, “Bicycle Sharers of the World Unite!”, in Literary Review, number 524, page 17

   1 more example

   Still, Daniel Cohn-Bendit has commented that without the example provided by the Dutch Provos to the young of other countries, Europe would have been a very different place in 1968.

   2017, Richard Ivan Jobs, Backpack Ambassadors: How Youth Travel Integrated Europe, University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 104

plural Provos

1. in pluralinformaloftenA member of the Provisional IRA.

   The RUC broke up a Provo cell in Belfast.

   2 more examples

   'The Provos bombing a Glasgow pub?' McCormack shook his head.

   2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 210

   Marcus Babington, whose father Henry (52) was shot dead by the Provos in a case of mistaken identity in Belfast in 1989, was one of those who criticised Mr Finucane, telling the Belfast Telegraph he can’t understand why the MP would want to be involved in such a commemoration.

   2023 June 7, Cillian Sherlock, “O’Neill says Finucane will attend controversial IRA commemoration”, in Belfast Telegraph, →ISSN, archived from the original on 08 Oct 2025

1. A city, the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States.

   NPR spoke with more than 30 people at the DHS career expo held in Provo last week.

   2025 September 26, Ximena Bustillo, “Fired feds, Trump lovers and veterans: Meet the people applying for ICE jobs”, in NPR, archived from the original on 23 Oct 2025

   1 more example

   When LGBTQ students, alumni and friends gathered off campus at a park in Provo, Utah, for a back-to-school event last weekend, they were met by dozens of protesters.

   2022 September 7, Nicole Chavez, Amanda Musa, “People dressed in angel wings shielded LGBTQ students attending BYU from protesters”, in CNN, archived from the original on 09 Sep 2022

2. An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fall River County, South Dakota.

1. A surname

   Minister MacKay said during the Nova Scotia election campaign that Tory candidate Dwayne Provo was in the best position to help his constituents receive money from ACAO.

   2006, Canada. Parliament. Senate, Debates of the Senate: Official Report (Hansard)

   2 more examples

   Certificate of Ilypolite Lefever and wife Mary, that they have agreed to sell and convey to George Provo, late of the Parish of St. Martins in the Feilds, Co. of Middlesex, England, now of New Salem, cordwinder, their dividend[…]

   1899, William Nelson, Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey, page 547

   Fred Provo received the Flaherty Award as the football team's most inspirational player. He was also their leading rusher. Husky fans knew him as a hard driver with the speed of a gazelle.

   2013, W. Thomas Porter, Go Huskies!: Celebrating the Washington Football Tradition, Triumph Books (IL), →ISBN, page 53