agitate
Americanverb (used with object)
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agitates,
present (3rd person singular)
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agitated,
past participle, past
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agitating
present participle
-
to move or force into violent, irregular action.
The hurricane winds agitated the sea.
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to shake or move briskly.
The machine agitated the mixture.
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to move to and fro; impart regular motion to.
- Synonyms:
- wave
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to disturb or excite emotionally; arouse; perturb.
a crowd agitated to a frenzy by impassioned oratory; a man agitated by disquieting news.
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to call attention to by speech or writing; discuss; debate.
to agitate the question.
- Synonyms:
- dispute
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to consider on all sides; revolve in the mind; plan.
verb (used without object)
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agitates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
agitated,
past participle, past
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agitating
present participle
verb
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(tr) to excite, disturb, or trouble (a person, the mind, or feelings); worry
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(tr) to cause to move vigorously; shake, stir, or disturb
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(intr; often foll by for or against) to attempt to stir up public opinion for or against something
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(tr) to discuss or debate in order to draw attention to or gain support for (a cause, etc)
to agitate a political cause
Usage
What does agitate mean? To agitate someone is to make them feel anxious, bothered, or worried. Someone who feels this way can be described as agitated. Things that make you feel this way can be described as agitating. To agitate something is to shake it up, stir it up, or cause it to move around roughly, as in The storm agitated the water, stirring up huge waves. The noun agitation refers to the act or process of agitating in this way. It also commonly refers to the state or feeling of being agitated, as in There is a lot of agitation among the employees who have not yet been paid. The verb agitate is also used in a more specific way to mean to attempt to promote support or opposition for a political or social cause, especially by repeatedly raising the issue and bringing awareness to it. The act of doing this can be called agitation, and a person who does this can be called an agitator. Example: The cable news channel blaring in the waiting room really agitates me—they really shouldn’t have that around people who are about to get their blood pressure taken.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reagitateverb
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overagitateverb (used with object)
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preagitateverb (used with object)
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agitableadjective
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agitatedadjective
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agitativeadjective
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agitatedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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agitatesimple
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agitatessimple
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have agitatedperfect
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has agitatedperfect
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am agitatingprogressive
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are agitatingprogressive
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is agitatingprogressive
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have been agitatingperfect progressive
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has been agitatingperfect progressive
Past
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agitatedsimple
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had agitatedperfect
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was agitatingprogressive
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were agitatingprogressive
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had been agitatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of agitate
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin agitātus, past participle of agitāre “to set in motion,” literally, “to do repeatedly,” from agere “to do, drive”
Explanation
Agitate means to stir up. If you watch a horror movie at bedtime, you may be too agitated to sleep. Movies like that can agitate all sorts of adrenaline responses in the body. Agitate derives from a Latin word that means "to drive away." The meaning has changed, but you can see where old meets new—a washing machine agitates dirty clothes in warm soapy water to drive away the dirt. You agitate or shake up salad dressing to mix it, driving the oil away into the vinegar.
Vocabulary lists containing agitate
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cheaper Mexican workers had been welcomed during World War I, and were still coming north more casually back then, even as a U.S. labor group was beginning to agitate for organizing American migrant farm workers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
It might seem strange to look this deeply into the why of Matt Damon as Odysseus, since his casting didn’t agitate right-wing trolls.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
They are notorious goons, despised virtually everywhere for their ability to agitate, aggrieve and annoy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
Lai previously told visitors there would be "no surprises" in his national day address, in a bid to reassure them that he would not do anything further to agitate Beijing.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2024
It was now, however, that Michael Burry began to agitate to buy standardized credit default swaps.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
And this is kind of a shame, because the story agitates the brain far more than it does the stomach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
Conversely, when researchers injected the rats with a substance that agitates the immune system, the inflammatory cytokine levels rapidly shot up.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024
Tinseltown, it seems, is in the midst of an AI boom — even as its creative class agitates for limits on how that technology gets deployed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2023
It’s work that agitates — even crowbars — its way into a heart.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2021
Anger agitates, while whistling melts a bee’s temper.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
We have agitated for paid parental leave, universal childcare, better public schools, child allowances, and other help for struggling parents.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Hundreds of people crammed into the school gym that April evening, and the debate over Point Reyes agitated into a low boil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
After an agitated week, it felt like a proper, pleasant ending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Algal spores may have turned the water green in places across Northern Ireland, but strong winds and heavy rain have kept surfaces too agitated for the formation of the very large-scale mats we've seen before.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Four thousand people gathered in the streets, becoming more and more agitated as news of the day circulated.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
“We do not know the answer, but we have seen them take this approach in other situations when agitating for change,” Moskow said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Wilson has been agitating for a board overhaul, and The Wall Street Journal has reported that Elliott was looking to help the retailer find a new leader.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Landlocked Ethiopia, home to around 130 million people and one of Africa’s strongest economies, has been agitating for sea access.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
The dollar rallied, even though Warsh has been agitating for more rate cuts, which tend to undermine the dollar’s value.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
Chile, you need to quit your agitating ’fore you ends up shackled too.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
