excite

verb

ex·cite | \ ik-ˈsīt

, ek-\

excited; exciting

Definition of excite

transitive verb

1a : to call to activity

b : to rouse to an emotional response scenes to excite the hardest man to pity

c : to arouse (something, such as a strong emotional response) by appropriate stimuli excite enthusiasm for the new regime— Arthur Knight

2a : energize excite an electromagnet

b : to produce a magnetic field in excite a dynamo

3 : to increase the activity of (something, such as a living organism) : stimulate

4 : to raise (an atomic nucleus, an atom, a molecule, etc.) to a higher energy level

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about excite

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Choose the Right Synonym for excite

provoke, excite, stimulate, pique, quicken mean to arouse as if by pricking. provoke directs attention to the response called forth. my stories usually provoke laughter excite implies a stirring up or moving profoundly. news that excited anger and frustration stimulate suggests a rousing out of lethargy, quiescence, or indifference. stimulating conversation pique suggests stimulating by mild irritation or challenge. that remark piqued my interest quicken implies beneficially stimulating and making active or lively. the high salary quickened her desire to have the job

Examples of excite in a Sentence

ideas that excite young people Our announcement excited the children. The posters excited much interest in the show.

Recent Examples on the Web

In other words, your goal should be your goal—something that you personally are excited about and realistically able to achieve—not someone else’s. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "How to Set Realistic Fitness Goals You’ll Actually Achieve, According to Top Trainers," 3 Jan. 2019 The Bears promise a new offense and some fans are deliriously excited even before training camp opens. — John Kass, chicagotribune.com, "Joy of Chicago's Croatians cresting as World Cup final with France approaches," 13 July 2018 There are many important issues Kavanaugh can be attacked on in ways that will excite the Democratic base. — Jeet Heer, The New Republic, "If Democrats want to fight Brett Kavanaugh, they have a lot of ammunition.," 10 July 2018 The young doctor grew up in Roxbury, as a health center patient, and was excited to return to his community. — Adrian Walker, BostonGlobe.com, "Whittier Street board votes to name the headquarters for the center’s director. Maybe the staff should have gotten a vote," 8 July 2018 Everyone was excited when Microsoft rolled out an Intel Core m3 version of the Surface Laptop for $799 earlier this year. — Ian Paul, PCWorld, "The Microsoft Store is selling the Core i5 Surface Laptop for $200 off today," 5 June 2018 While each year’s gathering is an exciting one, this one was particularly so, as we were paid a special (virtual) visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. — Kristen Bellstrom, Fortune, "Redstone Suit, Cannes, Amazon's Rooney Rule: Broadsheet May 15," 15 May 2018 The hotel restaurant, Bullard, and the bar, Abigail Hall, are exciting in their own right. — Rebecca Misner, Condé Nast Traveler, "What to Do in Portland, OR, in January 2019," 20 Dec. 2018 Known as an asteroid sample return, this kind of mission is exciting for scientists since studying the materials from an asteroid in depth could tell us a great deal about how our Solar System came to be 4.5 billion years ago. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "After a two-year journey, a NASA spacecraft arrives at its target asteroid," 3 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'excite.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.