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
Personally, however, your idealism will be aroused.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 13 June 2025
For instance, people often mistake a dog’s wagging tail as a sign of happiness, but the American Kennel Club suggests that the wagging movement only indicates that the dog is emotionally aroused.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
From classic role plays surrounding one's age or pets to the strangely specific, like men being aroused by women playing with toy cars or eating pizza.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
The offensive Orientalist depictions of Chinese characters that were common in Hollywood films of that era inevitably aroused strong passions in Chinese audiences.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
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Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 13 June 2025
For instance, people often mistake a dog’s wagging tail as a sign of happiness, but the American Kennel Club suggests that the wagging movement only indicates that the dog is emotionally aroused.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
From classic role plays surrounding one's age or pets to the strangely specific, like men being aroused by women playing with toy cars or eating pizza.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
The offensive Orientalist depictions of Chinese characters that were common in Hollywood films of that era inevitably aroused strong passions in Chinese audiences.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 3 June 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 8 Jul. 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
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