agitate

verb

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ag·i·tate | \ ˈa-jə-ˌtāt

agitated; agitating

Definition of agitate

transitive verb

1 : to excite and often trouble the mind or feelings of : disturb My presence did not appear to agitate or irritate him as before, and he accepted my services quietly …— Charlotte Brontë

2a : to discuss excitedly and earnestly

b : to stir up public discussion of … trying to agitate the old question of the embezzlement of the remains of the Confederate Treasury.— Robert Penn Warren

3a obsolete : to give motion to

b : to move with an irregular, rapid, or violent action The storm agitated the sea.

intransitive verb

: to attempt to arouse public feeling agitated for better schools

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More About agitate

Synonyms for agitate

Synonyms

Choose the Right Synonym for agitate

shake, agitate, rock, convulse mean to move up and down or to and fro with some violence. shake often carries a further implication of a particular purpose. shake well before using agitate suggests a violent and prolonged tossing or stirring. an ocean agitated by storms rock suggests a swinging or swaying motion resulting from violent impact or upheaval. the whole city was rocked by the explosion convulse suggests a violent pulling or wrenching as of a body in a paroxysm. spectators were convulsed with laughter

discompose, disquiet, disturb, perturb, agitate, upset, fluster mean to destroy capacity for collected thought or decisive action. discompose implies some degree of loss of self-control or self-confidence especially through emotional stress. discomposed by the loss of his beloved wife disquiet suggests loss of sense of security or peace of mind. the disquieting news of factories closing disturb implies interference with one's mental processes caused by worry, perplexity, or interruption. the discrepancy in accounts disturbed me perturb implies deep disturbance of mind and emotions. perturbed by her husband's strange behavior agitate suggests obvious external signs of nervous or emotional excitement. in his agitated state we could see he was unable to work upset implies the disturbance of normal or habitual functioning by disappointment, distress, or grief. the family's constant bickering upsets the youngest child fluster suggests bewildered agitation. his declaration of love completely flustered her

Examples of agitate in a Sentence

If I talk about the problem with him it just agitates him even more. Some members of the union have been agitating for a strike. A few local residents have been agitating against a military presence. The mixture is heated and then agitated.

Recent Examples on the Web Starting the promotion of special offers in advance will agitate buyers and significantly whet their appetite. — Aleksandr Galkin, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021 The situation was adjusted, and both returned the cell phones and agreed not to agitate each other anymore. — cleveland, 8 Dec. 2021 At the Sixth Congress of the Comintern, in the summer of 1928, there was a major debate about how best to agitate for Communist revolution among African Americans. — The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2021 And Kerensky’s declaration that sailors were ensured complete freedom to agitate. — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, National Review, 12 Oct. 2021 If the rankings regularly agitate college football fans — and, of course, that’s the point — this edition comes amid wrangling about what the future of the playoff will be. — New York Times, 2 Nov. 2021 Using your hands, gently agitate the water and soap with the silk. — Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Nov. 2021 But don’t bolt or scream, as these actions can startle or agitate a bear. — Laken Brooks, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2021 Activist hedge fund Starboard Value has a more-than-8% stake in Huntsman and plans to agitate for change at the chemicals producer, The Wall Street Journal reported. — Joe Wallace, WSJ, 28 Sep. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'agitate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.