Synonyms

excite

American

[ik-sahyt] / ɪkˈsaɪt /

verb (used with object)

excited, exciting

to arouse or stir up the emotions or feelings of.

to excite a person to anger; actions that excited his father's wrath.

Synonyms:

inflame, kindle, animate, stimulate, awaken, stir
to arouse or stir up (emotions or feelings).

to excite jealousy or hatred.

Synonyms:

evoke
to cause; awaken.

to excite interest or curiosity.
to stir to action; provoke or stir up.

to excite a dog by baiting him.

Synonyms:

ruffle, agitate, disturb
Physiology. to stimulate.

to excite a nerve.
Electricity. to supply with electricity for producing electric activity or a magnetic field.

to excite a dynamo.
Physics. to raise (an atom, molecule, etc.) to an excited state.

excite British

/ ɪkˈsaɪt /

verb

to arouse (a person) to strong feeling, esp to pleasurable anticipation or nervous agitation
to arouse or elicit (an emotion, response, etc); evoke

her answers excited curiosity
to cause or bring about; stir up

to excite a rebellion
to arouse sexually
physiol to cause a response in or increase the activity of (an organ, tissue, or part); stimulate
to raise (an atom, molecule, electron, nucleus, etc) from the ground state to a higher energy level
to supply electricity to (the coils of a generator or motor) in order to create a magnetic field
to supply a signal to a stage of an active electronic circuit

"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

Other Word Forms

preexcite verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of excite

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin excitāre, from ex- ex- ¹ + citāre “to move repeatedly, set in motion, summon” (from ciēre “to arouse, cause to go, move”)

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.

Tom Francis, head of personal finance at Octopus Money, says "having a clear and exciting goal whether that's a holiday or an emergency fund makes saving feel purposeful rather than restrictive".

From BBC

“I want people to say that was exciting,” he said, pointing to bottles on his shelves.

From The Wall Street Journal

Graeme Anderson, the chief executive of CX Power, strategic developer of the green energy hub plans, said they were still at an "early and exciting stage".

From BBC

I’m excited for people to see Volume 2, mostly for the Steve-Dustin resolution.

From Los Angeles Times

“Given the exciting potential for collaboration, I would welcome a call at your earliest convenience to explore how we can best work together,” he wrote, signing the letter as the chief executive of Total90 LLC.

From The Wall Street Journal

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