aroused; arousing
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
Elizabeth Berg
: to awake from sleep : stir
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
The double agent Clive arouses Jake’s suspicion immediately, and Sheriff McDowell vouches for him despite being unable to distinguish an Irish accent from a Scottish one.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
Their sympathies can be aroused by the stories spun by protectionist politicians.
—David B. McGarry, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Eight goals and two assists in 14 league matches before the winter break began in late December aroused increasing interest.
—Andy Naylor, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
For now, any public attempt by Thune to check Trump would likely arouse even greater anger from the Republican base.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
Their sympathies can be aroused by the stories spun by protectionist politicians.
—David B. McGarry, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Eight goals and two assists in 14 league matches before the winter break began in late December aroused increasing interest.
—Andy Naylor, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
For now, any public attempt by Thune to check Trump would likely arouse even greater anger from the Republican base.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
Cite this Entry
“Arouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arouse. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share