arouse

verb

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\ ə-ˈrau̇z

aroused; arousing

Definition of arouse

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

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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 Both of these actions, said Maddow, were highly unusual and enough to arouse suspicion of malfeasance. — John Hirschauer, National Review, "Rachel Maddow’s Turnberry Tale," 12 Sep. 2019 No other humanitarian organization in this period came close to matching the Christian Herald’s fundraising record or ability to arouse concern for affliction both within the United States and world wide. — Heather D. Curtis, The Conversation, "How American Christian media promoted charity abroad," 3 Sep. 2019 Still, some outdoor visitors seem to arouse the ants more than others and get stung as soon as the ants land. — Tom Maccubbin, orlandosentinel.com, "Good care leads to bountiful banana harvest," 17 Aug. 2019 The fate of the phallically bountiful periodical seemed to confirm the popular modern belief that women don’t find such visual stimuli particularly arousing. — Emily Willingham, Scientific American, "Universal Desire: Men and Women Respond Identically to Erotic Images," 18 July 2019 Her corrugated cardboard and paper creations arouse one’s curiosity and interest without the need for upkeep. — cleveland.com, "Summer comes alive through cardboard and paper: Olmsted Dates and Data," 23 Aug. 2019 The emirate maintains cordial relationships with all three of those antagonists, allowing it to deepen economic ties with Iraq without arousing suspicion or animosity. — Bobby Ghosh, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: Iraq and Kuwait are beginning a beautiful friendship," 18 Aug. 2019 Some artists are exploring more creative ways to maximise revenues without arousing fans’ ire. — The Economist, "How big stars maximise their take from tours," 25 July 2019 Their small size, coupled with worries over their potentially toxic chemical load, has aroused concerns over their potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, "Airborne Plastic Is Blowing All the Way to the Arctic," 14 Aug. 2019

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.