What is "agent provocateur"

n. A person who secretly disrupts a group's activities from within the group; an instigator, troublemaker.

n. a secret agent who incites suspected persons to commit illegal acts [syn: provocateur]

An agent provocateur ( French for "inciting agent") is a person who commits, or who acts to entice another person to commit an illegal or rash act or falsely implicate them in partaking in an illegal act. An agent provocateur may be acting out of their own sense of duty or may be employed by the police or other entity to discredit or harm another group (such as a peaceful protest or demonstration) by provoking them to commit a crime, thereby undermining the protest or demonstration as a whole.

The proper plural form of the term adds an s to the end of both words, agents provocateurs. A female agent or spy is called an agente provocatrice.

To prevent infiltration by agents provocateurs, the organizers of large or controversial assemblies may deploy and coordinate demonstration marshals, also called stewards.

Agent Provocateur is the fifth studio album by American/British rock band Foreigner, released on December 7, 1984. The album was the band's first and only number one album in the United Kingdom, and it reached the top 5 in the United States. Although album sales were lower than their previous work in the U.S., it contains the band's biggest hit single, " I Want to Know What Love Is", which is their only #1 single in the UK and the U.S., staying at the top spot for three and two weeks respectively. The follow-up single, " That Was Yesterday", also proved to be a sizeable hit, peaking at #12 in the U.S. The album was certified Platinum in the UK by the BPI, and triple Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.

Agent Provocateur is a British lingerie retailer founded in 1994 by Joseph Corré and Serena Rees. The company has 100 stores in 13 countries. In 2007, 3i, the private equity firm, purchased 80% of the company for £60 million.

An agent provocateur is a person employed to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal or rash act.

Agent provocateur or Provocateur may also refer to:

• Agent Provocateur (album), by Foreigner
• Agent Provocateur (band), a UK electronica group
• Agent Provocateur (lingerie), a British lingerie brand
• Provocateur (film) or Agent Provocateur, a 1998 movie directed by Jim Donovan

Agent Provocateur were a British electronica band, consisting of John Gosling, Matthew Ashman ( Bow Wow Wow), Dan Peppe, Danny Saber ( Black Grape) and Cleo Torez. When Ashman died in 1995 he was replaced on guitar by Lance Burman (formerly of Chiefs of Relief).