- present participle of rouse.
rousing
Americanadjective
-
exciting; stirring.
a rousing song.
-
active or vigorous.
a rousing campaign.
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brisk; lively.
a rousing business.
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exceptional; extraordinary.
a rousing lie.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rousing
Explanation
If you've ever been "roused" out of your sleep by someone, then you'll have no trouble seeing that rousing refers to anything that gets you going, up on your feet, energized. There's nothing like a rousing tournament of Twister to get you off your butt and into the game. Cheerleaders and rock stars are in the business of creating rousing spectacles. They want their audiences to get up on their feet, clap their hands, and get on the bandwagon. A good drinking song, too, is rousing, inspiring folks to clink their glasses, sway back and forth, and, well, keep drinking. Beethoven was a master of music that was thoughtful one minute and rousing the very next.
Vocabulary lists containing rousing
The Devil's Arithmetic
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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"The Sporting Spirit"
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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.
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
After a rousing performance by a white-robe clad vocal collective co-founded by Pharrell Williams, Lucas’ wife Mellody Hobson noted that, “George kept saying, ‘Will this person come?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 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
I root for her, and I feel like that must help because someone pops on a Wagner CD, although I don’t know that the rousing “Ride of the Valkyries” is what I had in mind.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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.
