agitate
verb (used with object)
to move or force into violent, irregular action.
was agitating
-
past progressiveof agitate.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Conversations about his goals implicitly involved an assessment of his prospects, which was agitating.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025
“He’s the one guy who was agitating everything, extremely excessive,” Campbell said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2024
“I was in Park City a couple weeks ago during a storm, and everyone was agitating to get to the top of the mountain, and they’re asking me, ‘Aren’t you coming?’
From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2021
One person familiar with Mr. Kushner’s thinking, who insisted on anonymity to describe it, denied that he felt personally targeted by Mr. Kelly or was agitating to have him removed.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2018
The nature of this business was agitating the community at large in only a degree less than it was agitating Mr. Opp himself.
From Mr. Opp by Alice Caldwell Hegan Rice
