definitions

rouse

1
[ rouz ]
/ raʊz /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rouse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), roused, rous·ing.

verb (used without object), roused, rous·ing.

to come out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, apathy, depression, etc.
to start up from a covert or lair, as game.

noun

a rousing.
a signal for rousing; reveille.

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RELATED WORDS

arouse, awake, awaken, stir, disturb, provoke, trigger, incite, rile, agitate, inflame, startle, heighten, galvanize, kindle, rise, call, raise, urge, move

Nearby words

rourke, rous, rous sarcoma, rous sarcoma virus, rous-associated virus, rouse, rouseabout, rouser, rousing, rousseau, rousseau, jean-jacques

Origin of rouse

1
1480–90 in sense “(of a hawk) to shake the feathers”; 1525–35 for def 3; origin uncertain

Related forms

rous·ed·ness [rou-zid-nis] /ˈraʊ zɪd nɪs/, nounrous·er, nounun·roused, adjective

Synonym study

1, 2. See incite.

Definition for rouse (2 of 2)

rouse

2
[ rouz ]
/ raʊz /

noun

Archaic. a carouse.
Obsolete. a bumper of liquor.

Origin of rouse

2
1595–1605; perhaps variant of carouse (drink carouse being wrongly analyzed as drink a rouse)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rouse

British Dictionary definitions for rouse (1 of 2)

rouse

1
/ (raʊz) /

verb

noun

mainly US another term for reveille

Derived Forms

rousedness (ˈraʊzɪdnɪs), noun

Word Origin for rouse

C15 (in sense 5): origin obscure

British Dictionary definitions for rouse (2 of 2)

rouse

2
/ (raʊz) /

noun archaic

an alcoholic drink, esp a full measure
another word for carousal

Word Origin for rouse

C17: probably a variant of carouse (as in the phrase drink a rouse, erroneous for drink carouse); compare Danish drikke en rus to become drunk, German Rausch drunkenness
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