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

Sacramento State’s annual Rising Stars was a two-day whirlwind marathon of drills and activity that played out on several grass fields near Hornet Stadium, and it was deemed a rousing success, from the weather to the effort to the kudos. —Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026

Braden Montgomery hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning of his rousing major league debut to rally the Chicago White Sox past the Atlanta Braves 6-5 on Tuesday night. —Ajc Sports, AJC.com, 10 June 2026

Aida Turturro began acting in the late '90s with roles in films including Sleepers (1996) and Deep Blue Sea (1999) before her big break as Tony's narcissistic and drama-rousing elder sister, Janice Soprano. —Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026

Braden Montgomery hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning of his rousing major league debut to rally the Chicago White Sox past the Atlanta Braves 6-5 on Tuesday night. —ABC News, 9 June 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