rouse

1 of 3

verb

ˈrau̇z 

roused; rousing

transitive verb

1

a

: to arouse from or as if from sleep or repose : awaken

roused the campers for a hike at dawn

b

: to stir up : excite

was roused to fury

2

archaic : to cause to break from cover

intransitive verb

1

: to become aroused : awaken

rousing late on a Saturday

2

: to become stirred

… before she could rouse from this insult …

—Grace Kinnicutt

rousement

ˈrau̇z-mənt 

noun

rouser noun

rouse

2 of 3

noun (1)

: an act or instance of rousing

especially : an excited stir

rouse

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

archaic : carousal

2

obsolete : drink, toast

Synonyms of rouse

Verb

• wake
• awaken
• awake
• arouse

Examples of rouse in a Sentence

Verb

I've been unable to rouse her.

I was so tired I could barely rouse myself to prepare dinner.

These animals are dangerous when roused.

She was roused to anger by their indifference.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

After its rousing Sundance premiere, the movie’s trailer ran ahead of doc hit An Inconvenient Truth, with its high profile leading GM to issue statements attempting to discredit Electric Car. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 26 July 2026

The United States, Canada and Mexico are coming off hosting an unprecedented 48-team World Cup that spread across 16 cities and — with a few exceptions — felt like a rousing success. — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Twain took the late-night stage alongside her live band to showcase the rousing track off her new LP, Little Miss Twain. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026

Whether cleaner data alone can rouse the sleepiest corner of the economy is precisely the thing the next year or two will decide. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, to shake the feathers

Noun (2)

alteration (from misdivision of to drink carouse) of carouse

First Known Use

Verb

1531, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (1)

1764, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1593, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for rouse

• blouse
• bouse
• douse
• dowse
• grouse
• haus
• louse
• mouse
• spouse
• youse
• alehouse
• almshouse

Kids Definition

rouse

verb

ˈrau̇z

roused; rousing

1

: awake entry 1 sense 1

2

: to make or become active : stir up