rouse

1 of 4

verb

ˈrau̇z 

roused; rousing

transitive verb

1

a

: to arouse from or as if from sleep or repose : awaken

roused the campers for a hike at dawn

b

: to stir up : excite

was roused to fury

2

archaic : to cause to break from cover

intransitive verb

1

: to become aroused : awaken

rousing late on a Saturday

2

: to become stirred

… before she could rouse from this insult …

—Grace Kinnicutt

rousement

ˈrau̇z-mənt 

noun

rouser noun

rouse

2 of 4

noun (1)

: an act or instance of rousing

especially : an excited stir

rouse

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

archaic : carousal

2

obsolete : drink, toast

rousement

4 of 4

noun (3)

rouse·​ment ˈrau̇zmənt 

plural -s

: an act or instance of stirring up : arousal

Synonyms of rouse

Verb

• wake
• awaken
• awake
• arouse

Examples of rouse in a Sentence

Verb

I've been unable to rouse her.

I was so tired I could barely rouse myself to prepare dinner.

These animals are dangerous when roused.

She was roused to anger by their indifference.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The banquet room of an Elgin restaurant resonated with those words at the conclusion of a rousing tune featuring four-part barbershop harmony. — Tom Strong, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026

Other than the fact that two people getting ax-murdered didn’t rouse her from her nap, there wasn’t anything suspicious about Bridget; not that there weren’t plenty of people ready to pin the crimes on her. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

After Stan’s dad Randy gives a rousing speech about coming together as a community following Kenny’s latest demise, the scene shifts to the funeral, with the loud and proud country ballad bubbling up as the e-bike ban is announced. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Sep. 2026

The Buffalo Bills kicked off the Joe Brady era with a rousing win over the Houston Texans, but the defense remains the biggest question mark as Thursday’s game against the Detroit Lions looms on a short week. — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (3)

Middle English, to shake the feathers

Noun (2)

alteration (from misdivision of to drink carouse) of carouse

First Known Use

Verb

1531, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (1)

1764, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1593, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (3)

1864, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rouse

• blouse
• bouse
• douse
• dowse
• grouse
• haus
• louse
• mouse
• spouse
• youse
• alehouse
• almshouse

Kids Definition

rouse

verb

ˈrau̇z

roused; rousing

1

: awake entry 1 sense 1

2

: to make or become active : stir up