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

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 When the police target Pascal as a suspect, the intrigue kicks up a notch, introducing a familiar but effective conundrum in which Moll is both repulsed and aroused by the possibility of her lover's guilt. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "Jessie Buckley flirts with danger in the tense, uneven British thriller 'Beast'," 10 May 2018 His unchanging appearance arouses hostility and suspicion. — Clare Clark, New York Times, "What Would It Be Like to Be 400 Years Old?," 16 Feb. 2018 As much as anything, the protests aroused by Schutz's Emmett Till painting at the Whitney signaled that she's viewed as a worthy, high-profile target. — Steven Litt, cleveland.com, "Dana Schutz tackles Trump era anxieties in new show at Transformer Station (photos)," 21 Jan. 2018 Computers, tablets, and smartphones absorb adulterous evidence like a sponge, and once suspicions are aroused, tech can offer many clues about a potential dalliance. — Kim Komando, Fox News, "8 clever ways that tech can reveal a cheating spouse," 15 Sep. 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.