aroused; arousing

transitive verb

1
: to awaken from sleep
was aroused from a deep sleep by a loud noise
2
: to stimulate to action or to bodily readiness for activity : excite
a book that has aroused debate
3
: to excite (someone) sexually : to cause sexual arousal in (someone)
… girls whose perfume scent frightened him and aroused him.Elizabeth Berg

intransitive verb

: to awake from sleep : stir
aroused adjective

Examples of arouse in a Sentence

The report aroused a great deal of public interest. The husky sound of her voice could always arouse him. Their proposal is certain to arouse the opposition.
Recent Examples on the Web There’s also been a dearth of speculative coverage from British tabloids, which Hall notes has aroused suspicions. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Since then, Israel has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million others from their homes, arousing anger throughout the Muslim world. Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024 Social pain, unlike personal pain, is the result of collective traumatic events that arouse historical, chronic, or acute unresolved grief, despair, and anger within a group of people. Mathew Holloway, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2024 In Sonoyta, across the border from Arizona, Mino’s camouflage pants aroused the suspicions of a unit of Mexican soldiers. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2024 The Michigan plant has aroused concerns in the U.S. that the country’s subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act could benefit a Chinese company. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 22 Jan. 2024 Richards and Wade have never confirmed or denied a romantic relationship, but Wade has become a conspicuously close friend of Richards's in the latest season of RHOBH, arousing suspicions from her fellow Housewives as well as the public. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 4 Jan. 2024 John and Jane’s Manhattan brownstone is spectacular—and too expensive not to arouse the curiosity of their next-door neighbor (Paul Dano). Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Singer also happens to be Alice Waters’s daughter, and though nepo babies might arouse suspicion in many contexts, having an expert parent seems like a fair qualification in this particular realm: Where better to learn home cooking than at home? The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arouse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

a- (as in arise, awake entry 1) + rouse entry 1

Note: The verb arouse is formed by analogy with rise : arise, wake : awake; in these pairs a- goes back to Old English, as either the perfective prefix a- (see abide) or a reduced form of on- (see a- entry 1).

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of arouse was circa 1616

Dictionary Entries Near arouse

Cite this Entry

“Arouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arouse. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

arouse

verb
aroused; arousing
1
: to awaken from sleep
2
: to rouse to action : excite

Medical Definition

arouse

transitive verb
aroused; arousing
1
a
: to awake from sleep
b
: to rouse or stimulate to action
c
: to excite (someone) sexually : to cause sexual arousal in (someone)
2
: to give rise to
a response aroused by a stimulus
arousable adjective
arousability noun
plural arousabilities

More from Merriam-Webster on arouse

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