arouse

verb

\ ə-ˈrau̇z

aroused; arousing

Definition of arouse

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

Other Words from arouse Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about arouse

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Synonyms & Antonyms for arouse

Synonyms

awake, awaken, knock up [British], rouse, wake, waken

Antonyms

lull

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

As a result, the majority of vibrators took a phallic form, which is frustrating because the shape of the object has little to do with its ability to arouse. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "Meet Unbound, the Company Defining Next-Wave Sex Positivity One Wearable at a Time," 9 Apr. 2019 All three women said Menchaca became aroused during baths, police said. — Kathleen Joyce, Fox News, "Arizona man fakes having Down syndrome, hires women to bathe him and change his diapers: police," 15 Sep. 2018 Watch an erotic video Contrary to stereotype, research shows that women get very visually aroused, says Mintz. — Suzannah Weiss, Glamour, "The Best 7 Masturbation Tips to Get You Super Turned On When You're Solo," 23 Mar. 2019 Some people are more aroused by the physical aspect of BDSM, like erotic spanking, while others are turned on by the mental component, such as a dominant partner dictating what her submissive partner should wear. — Rachel Kramer Bussel, SELF, "I Suddenly Stopped Being Kinky and I’m Not Sure Why," 1 Mar. 2019 None of those actions ever involve any of the aspects of BDSM that were the main things that got me aroused in past relationships. — Rachel Kramer Bussel, SELF, "I Suddenly Stopped Being Kinky and I’m Not Sure Why," 1 Mar. 2019 The intimacy of getting close to such an important part of the body is precisely what arouses foot fetishists, especially those who are also submissive. — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, "Everything You've Wanted to Know About Foot Fetishes, But Were Afraid to Ask," 17 Aug. 2018 The visible reappearance in Germany of the prejudice that resulted in genocide has aroused alarm. — Kirsten Grieshaber, Fox News, "Jewish teens enlisted to fight anti-Semitism in Germany," 29 July 2018 Chun’s relationship with Kun arouses hostility among her fellow Others, which is further complicated when her grandfather and staunchest ally dies and takes the form of a begonia tree. — Peter Keough, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Big Fish’ in a big pond," 12 Apr. 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.