excite

play

verb ex·cite \ik-ˈsīt, ek-\

Definition of excite

excited

;

exciting

transitive verb
1a : to call to activityb : to rouse to an emotional response scenes to excite the hardest man to pityc : to arouse (something, such as a strong emotional response) by appropriate stimuli excite enthusiasm for the new regime — Arthur Knight
2a : energize excite an electromagnetb : 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

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See excite defined for kids

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 of excite from the Web

At Essence on the Strip, people were excited and well-behaved as a lone security guard looked on.

— Bloomberg.com, "Tourists, Locals Buy Nevada's Legal Recreational Marijuana", 1 July 2017
Serena became excited, like a small child, and Alexis bought her some.

— vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, "Cover Story: Serena Williams’s Love Match", 27 June 2017
But neuroscientists should be excited about this glimpse into the inner workings of our own brains.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Can Now Read Your Thoughts With a Brain Scan", 27 June 2017
A nosetackle in Buffalo who’s excited about the new regime, and a Vikings linebacker who sees dominance ahead in Minnesota. •

— greg bishop, The MMQB, "The NFL's Optimism Season", 26 June 2017
Genius supertemporal creations in all ages will excite people because any person tends, even unconsciously, to touch the great and eternal.

— leilah bernstein, Los Angeles Magazine, "This Ballet About Tchaikovsky Reveals the Composer’s Talent and Torment", 23 June 2017
Frankly, the screen looks great, even if 1080p won’t excite many power users.

— david pierce, WIRED, "Review: OnePlus 5", 20 June 2017
Excited to spend a week cruising the #Caribbean with her!

— samantha lefave, Redbook, "This Is What It's Really Like to Go On a Weight-Loss Cruise", 15 June 2017
But now the Russian thing doesn't seem to excite Democrats anymore.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "Jeff Sessions and the Senate sock puppet show", 13 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of excite

Middle English, from Anglo-French exciter, from Latin excitare, from ex- + citare to rouse — more at cite

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

EXCITE Defined for English Language Learners

excite

play

verb

Definition of excite for English Language Learners

: to cause feelings of enthusiasm in (someone) : to make (someone) feel energetic and eager to do something
: to cause (a particular emotion or reaction) to be felt or to happen
: to increase the activity of (something, such as nerve tissue)