rouse
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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rouses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
roused,
past participle, past
-
rousing
present participle
-
to bring out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, fancied security, apathy, depression, etc..
He was roused to action by courageous words.
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to stir or incite to strong indignation or anger.
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to cause (game) to start from a covert or lair.
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Nautical Now Rare. to pull by main strength; haul.
verb (used without object)
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rouses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
roused,
past participle, past
-
rousing
present participle
-
to come out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, apathy, depression, etc.
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to start up from a covert or lair, as game.
noun
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a rousing.
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a signal for rousing; reveille.
noun
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Archaic. a carouse.
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Obsolete. a bumper of liquor.
verb
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to bring (oneself or another person) out of sleep, unconsciousness, etc, or (of a person) to come to consciousness in this way
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(tr) to provoke, stir, or excite
to rouse someone's anger
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to become active or energetic
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hunting to start or cause to start from cover
to rouse game birds
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(intr) falconry (of hawks) to ruffle the feathers and cause them to stand briefly on end (a sign of contentment)
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to speak scoldingly or rebukingly (to)
noun
noun
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an alcoholic drink, esp a full measure
-
another word for carousal
Synonym Usage
See incite.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rousesimple
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rousessimple
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have rousedperfect
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has rousedperfect
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am rousingprogressive
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are rousingprogressive
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is rousingprogressive
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have been rousingperfect progressive
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has been rousingperfect progressive
Past
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rousedsimple
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had rousedperfect
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was rousingprogressive
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were rousingprogressive
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had been rousingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rouse1
First recorded in 1425–75 in sense “(of a hawk) to shake the feathers”; 1525–35 rouse 1 for def. 3; origin uncertain
Origin of rouse2
First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps variant of carouse ( drink carouse being wrongly analyzed as drink a rouse )
Explanation
When someone calls out "rise and shine," they are trying to rouse you, to make you wake up. It's thought that the word rouse was originally a 15th-century term used by hawkers for the way the birds shook out their feathers when agitated. That gives a nice mental picture to the word, and it does fit: rouse means to become awake, excited, or just plain keyed up, like those birds ruffling their feathers. Consider that when first roused in the morning, many people have to shake themselves to get ready to face the day.
Vocabulary lists containing rouse
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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Native Son
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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:
This nuclear-power startup says it can rouse the slow-moving industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
The 40-year-old Wawrinka must try and rouse himself on his Australian Open farewell after a gruelling five-set win in round two.
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
Their popularity spread through Europe until, in Victorian tradition, they were used to rouse ladies after fainting spells.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026
There is an overwhelming sense that Scotland's fate on Tuesday does not depend on what the handy Danes do, but what Clarke's team can conjure up and rouse from within themselves.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
He did not sound worried in the slightest; the situation seemed to rouse him to crackling near-manic energy.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
January is an odd month in the art world, as it rouses itself from its holiday slumber but struggles to shake off the sleepiness of the past month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
In Ridley Scott’s 1979 film “Alien,” the crew of the Nostromo rouses from slumber to answer a distress call that spells their doom.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2025
In a middle car, J Herbert Sigmon rouses a dozing young man as the train glides toward Pioneer Square.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2023
He also hopes it rouses new owners, even if they aren’t Latino.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2023
His fingers go back to my hair and I doze off, but he rouses me to see the sunset.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
It seems that much of the Western world is waking up, roused by that sonorous noise that they just can’t seem to shake.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
That will be a persistent tension as cooperation gears up and it has already roused some Canadian domestic opposition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Tuchel roused himself enough to provide a passionate defence of his efforts during the late capitulation against Argentina.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Pro-business Paz took office in November promising to resolve the country's worst economic crisis in decades, but his unpopular economic reforms and failure to respond to social demands have roused public ire.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
The next morning, I was roused by the sound of Haskel’s groaning.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
The latter seemingly bought into some of the era’s storylines and ringside magic, believing that a rousing speech to the wrestlers in the locker room would convince them to strike.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
This rousing statement was also, naturally, a self-aware business pitch.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
Colbert and his colleagues received a rousing reception from the audience as they gathered on stage to accept the award.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
We are all of us, in short, “Musical Bodies,” the title and subject of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s rousing exhibition celebrating the creative and aesthetic realm where music, art, and global cultures meet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Don’t you dare go back to sleep!” my mother shouted as she continued rousing the rest of the brood.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
