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arouse

[uh-rouz]
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verb (used with object), a·roused, a·rous·ing.
  1. to stir to action or strong response; excite: to arouse a crowd; to arouse suspicion.
  2. to stimulate sexually.
  3. to awaken; wake up: The footsteps aroused the dog.
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verb (used without object), a·roused, a·rous·ing.
  1. to awake or become aroused: At dawn the farmers began to arouse.
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Origin of arouse

1585–95; a-3 + rouse1, modeled on arise
Related formsa·rous·a·bil·i·ty, nouna·rous·a·ble, adjectivea·rous·al [uh-rou-zuhl] /əˈraʊ zəl/, nouna·rous·er, nounnon·a·rous·al, nouno·ver·a·rous·al, nounre·a·rous·al, nounre·a·rouse, verb, re·a·roused, re·a·rous·ing.sem·i·a·rous·al, nounsub·a·rous·al, nounun·a·rous·a·ble, adjectiveun·a·roused, adjectiveun·a·rous·ing, adjectivewell-a·roused, adjective
Can be confusedarose arouse

Synonyms

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1. animate; inspirit, inspire; incite, provoke, instigate; stimulate, kindle, fire.

Antonyms

1. calm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

awakenrousestirinciteinstigateinflamekindlesparkprovokespurstimulatefomentthrillenlivenwarmmovegoadagitatealertelectrify

Examples from the Web for arouse

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • In fact, they are so common as to arouse little or no wonder in the minds of the people.

  • Arouse all together, mes enfants, under pain of my displeasure.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • She was gowned, too, with a chic nicety to arouse the envy of all less-fortunate women.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • In it we do not know the evil passions which ambition and strife are said to arouse.

    Night and Morning, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • Let us arouse the people; hitherto we have depended too much upon the nobles.

    Leila, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for arouse

arouse

verb
  1. (tr) to evoke or elicit (a reaction, emotion, or response); stimulate
  2. to awaken from sleep
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Derived Formsarousal, nounarouser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for arouse

v.

1590s, "awaken" (transitive), from a- (1) "on" + rouse. Related: Aroused; arousing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper