arouse

verb \ ə-ˈrau̇z \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of arouse

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

intransitive verb

: to awake from sleep : stir

—

arousal

play \ə-ˈrau̇-zəl\ noun

See arouse defined for English-language learners

See arouse defined for kids

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 of arouse from the Web

Seeing evidence inimical to your views arouses feelings of aversion, suspicion, perhaps even outrage.

— robert wright, WIRED, "Why Pure Reason Won’t End American Tribalism," 9 Apr. 2018
The fantasy role-playing game was, in the ’80s, considered by some as a ploy conceived by Satan to arouse moral turpitude.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Beyond ‘Satanic Panic’: Agent has theory on 30-year mystery of missing Kansas teen | The Kansas City Star," 8 Apr. 2018
Legend: The challenge of creating great, powerful, meaningful art is being able to draw that connection, to make people feel something, to arouse emotion and passion in people.

— adrienne green, The Atlantic, "Jesse Williams and John Legend on the Challenge of Creating Meaningful Art," 2 Apr. 2018
Pickle and Belly Button are envious, aroused and appalled by the amorality of the rich, and the viewer is at once dismayed by the cruelty of this society and seduced by Mr. Huang’s smooth and witty style.

— manohla dargis and a.o. scott, New York Times, "11 Movies You Need to Know at New Directors/New Films," 27 Mar. 2018
Such non-conformity and independence aroused the ire of her enemies, and sometimes her supposed friends — the male leaders in the union resented her influence and power and finally squeezed her out of the UFW in 2002.

— peter keough, BostonGlobe.com, "An activist, a stripper, a funny guy, and a secret history of America," 22 Mar. 2018
The moving of sacred objects to profane settings arouses particular anxieties.

— The Economist, "Gospel truthsA symbolic struggle over ancient manuscripts," 22 Mar. 2018
By all accounts, the hip renegades with cash to spare mingled seamlessly into the town's cosmopolitan society, where their South American accents didn't arouse suspicions, despite their improbable assertions of having been born in Mexico.

— patrick j. mcdonnell, latimes.com, "Wanted for murder for decades, two ex-Chilean guerrillas hid in a Mexican town. Then their double lives began to unravel," 18 Mar. 2018
That project has aroused strong opposition from residents and environmentalists.

— andrew maykuth, Philly.com, "PUC ratifies Sunoco pipeline shutdown until sinkholes can be resolved," 15 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of arouse

a- (as in arise) + rouse

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First Known Use: circa 1616

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arouse Synonyms

AROUSE Defined for English Language Learners

arouse

verb

Definition of arouse for English Language Learners

: to cause (an emotional or mental state)
: to excite (someone) sexually
: to wake (someone) from sleep

AROUSE Defined for Kids

arouse

verb \ ə-ˈrau̇z \

Definition of arouse for Students

aroused; arousing

1 : to awaken from sleep

2 : to cause to feel

arouse anger

3 : to cause to become active or upset

arouse the opposition

Medical Dictionary

arouse

transitive verb \ ə-ˈrau̇z \

medical Definition of arouse

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

play \ə-ˈrau̇-zə-bəl\ adjective

—

arousability

play \ə-ˌrau̇-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun, plural -ties

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arouse

Definition of arouse

arousal

Examples of arouse in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of arouse

arouse Synonyms

Synonyms

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AROUSE Defined for English Language Learners

arouse

Definition of arouse for English Language Learners

AROUSE Defined for Kids

arouse

Definition of arouse for Students

Medical Dictionary

arouse

medical Definition of arouse

arousable

arousability

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