Synonyms

arouse

American

[uh-rouz] / əˈraʊz /

verb (used with object)

to stir to action or strong response; excite.

to arouse a crowd;
to arouse suspicion.

Synonyms:

fire, kindle, stimulate, instigate, provoke, incite, inspire, inspirit, animate

Antonyms:

calm
to stimulate sexually.
to awaken; wake up.

The footsteps aroused the dog.

verb (used without object)

to awake or become aroused.

At dawn the farmers began to arouse.

arouse British

/ əˈraʊz /

verb

(tr) to evoke or elicit (a reaction, emotion, or response); stimulate
to awaken from sleep

"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

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Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of arouse

First recorded in 1585–95; a- ³ + rouse ¹, modeled on arise

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.

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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.

All forms of human doom Arouse but transient thoughts of joy or gloom.

From Laments by Prall, Dorothea

Write Mainly of Characters That Arouse the Spectator's Sympathy Each hero must have his opposite, as each great cause must have its protagonist and antagonist.

From Writing the Photoplay by Esenwein, J. Berg (Joseph Berg)

Wake, Allan-bane," aloud she cried, 105 To the old Minstrel by her side— "Arouse thee from thy moody dream!

From Lady of the Lake by Moody, William Vaughn

Arouse, a-rowz′, v.t. and v.i. same as Rouse.—ns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Arouse thyself, awake and shine, For, lo! it comes, the light divine.

From Hebrew Literature by Wilson, Epiphanius

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023