excitement

noun

ex·​cite·​ment ik-ˈsīt-mənt How to pronounce excitement (audio)
1
: something that excites or rouses
2
: the action of exciting : the state of being excited

Example Sentences

Our excitement was building as the end of the game approached. His hands shook with excitement. The child cried out in excitement. a trip filled with excitement and adventure She talked about the excitements of her new life. This job loses its excitement after a while. See More
Recent Examples on the Web And when Patricia stepped out of the car, Hamm couldn't contain his excitement. Seth Carnell, USA TODAY, 16 May 2023 The start of girls’ seven-on-seven flag football this fall offers both excitement and additional challenges to figuring out use of facilities. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2023 As with many things, the hype surrounding ChatGPT has stirred both excitement and dismay in the workplace. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 14 May 2023 Astros play-by-play voice Todd Kalas caught a foul ball during the middle innings of the contest, with color commentator Geoff Blum displaying his excitement about the moment on the AT&T SportsNet broadcast. Josh Criswell, Chron, 10 May 2023 There aren’t many other seasonal ingredients that stir an atypical overt excitement in the Brits. Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 10 May 2023 As the day began, the abbey buzzed with excitement and was abloom with fragrant flowers and colorful hats. Compiled By Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 7 May 2023 The use of 12 exclamation points in the short tweets gives you some idea of Parsons’ excitement. David Moore, Dallas News, 5 May 2023 The Detroit Grand Prix will return to the streets of downtown Detroit for the first time since 1991 on the weekend of June 2, and adding to the excitement will be performances from OutKast's Big Boi and a host of other acts in a series of free riverfront concerts. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 3 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'excitement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excitement was in 1604

Dictionary Entries Near excitement

Cite this Entry

“Excitement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excitement. Accessed 29 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

excitement

noun
ex·​cite·​ment ik-ˈsīt-mənt How to pronounce excitement (audio)
1
: something that excites
2
: the state of being excited : agitation

Medical Definition

excitement

noun
ex·​cite·​ment -ˈsīt-mənt How to pronounce excitement (audio)
1
: the act of exciting
2
: the state of being excited: as
a
: aroused, augmented, or abnormal activity of an organism or functioning of an organ or part
b
: extreme motor hyperactivity (as in catatonic schizophrenia or bipolar disorder)

More from Merriam-Webster on excitement

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!