arouse
Americanverb (used with object)
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arouses,
present (3rd person singular)
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aroused,
past participle, past
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arousing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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arouses,
present (3rd person singular)
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aroused,
past participle, past
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arousing
present participle
verb
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(tr) to evoke or elicit (a reaction, emotion, or response); stimulate
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to awaken from sleep
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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arousabilitynoun
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arousalnoun
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arousernoun
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rearouseverb
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arousableadjective
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unarousableadjective
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unarousingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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arousesimple
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arousessimple
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have arousedperfect
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has arousedperfect
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am arousingprogressive
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are arousingprogressive
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is arousingprogressive
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have been arousingperfect progressive
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has been arousingperfect progressive
Past
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arousedsimple
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had arousedperfect
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was arousingprogressive
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were arousingprogressive
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had been arousingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of arouse
Explanation
Although the verb arouse basically means "to wake up," it is usually not accomplished with an alarm clock. A patriotic song might arouse your love of country, and a new idea might arouse your imagination. The word comes from an Old French word meaning "stir up, awaken," and anything that arouses your mind or heart can awaken something in you; for example, the prospect of an exciting experience may arouse your sense of adventure. Arouse can also be used with negative feelings. A sneaky look might arouse your suspicion, or rejection might arouse a sense of bitterness. However, usually, arouse carries with it a sense of excitement, of bringing something to life.
Vocabulary lists containing arouse
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 5
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Travels with Charley
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The Ch'i-lin Purse
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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:
Some lawyers who have worked on crypto-treasury deals say information leaks can not only arouse insider trading suspicions but also actually be harmful for pricing transactions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2025
“Depositing the money all at once would probably arouse less suspicion with the bank than making a continuing series of deposits just under $10,000,” says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2025
Hwang uses it to fill time and arouse suspicion, but there is little narrative heft from this plotline until the finale.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024
Mr Kane, who was charged with possessing written material intended or likely to stir up hatred or arouse fear, was released on bail under conditions.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2024
I regard the British Parliament as the most democratic institution in the world, and the independence and impartiality of its judiciary never fail to arouse my admiration.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
“This is an issue that arouses real passion,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner, a half-Jewish Rhode Island congressman navigating the same post-Oct. 7th currents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
To his critics and opponents, he is dangerous egotist, someone who arouses division.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024
Information that connects with group identities or familiar narratives—or that arouses emotion—can be particularly persuasive….
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2023
He cited Philippine national hero Jose Rizal’s description of justice “as the foremost virtue of the civilizing races. It subdues the barbarous nations while injustice arouses the weakest.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
The author then must furiously try to minimize what she has been saying, which only arouses the reader’s suspicions.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Because of the suspicions aroused by the complaints, she said, she lost a job.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
After charming his way into the house of a couple who believed his tale and gave him thousands of euros, he eventually aroused their suspicions.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025
It enables Alexander to be briefed and to update his handlers, though he can’t stay in there too long, lest suspicions be aroused on the other side of the hack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Yet Hansen has since aroused controversy, such as when he argued in 2000 that non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases like methane play a large role in climate change.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2025
In the morning’s bright light and in the safe company of classmates, Satan never aroused very much terror.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
What is certain is that “Now I Surrender” stubbornly fights against the kind of engagement its author is preternaturally good at arousing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
"The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, arousing fierce divisions, intensifying rifts," the premier said in a video statement, referring to the split between his supporters and opponents.
From Barron's ● Nov. 30, 2025
Their only sin, as things stand, is arousing disgust.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2025
"They provide heads of state and government with a good excuse to break existing schedules for urgent discussions on current problems without arousing public expectations," he wrote in his book, Diplomacy: Theory and Practice.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025
Dozens of strangers came through Macondo every day without arousing suspicion or secret ideas.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions 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.
