rouse

1 of 4

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 4

noun (1)

: an act or instance of rousing

especially : an excited stir

rouse

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

archaic : carousal

2

obsolete : drink, toast

rouser

4 of 4

noun (3)

rous·​er

ˈrau̇zə(r)

plural -s

: one that rouses: such as

a

: one that awakens or excites

b

: an implement for stirring a fermenting brew

c

: something superlative of its kind : humdinger

a real rouser of a storm

—Robert Louis Taylor

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

These two exceedingly nimble keyboardists teamed for a rousing take on Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski’s intensely spirited Variations on a Theme of Paganini. — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

But Brown gained a step on Mitchell on Thursday and hauled in a touchdown that roused the home crowd. — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

The actual blast of the ram’s horn is loud, but not loud enough to rouse me from my stress blackout. — Risa Polansky Shiman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026

Four members of the group, Daniela Avanzini, Yoonchae Jeung, Lara Raj, and Megan Skiendiel, joined forces for a rousing performance of the pop number. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 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

Noun (3)

1611, in the meaning defined above

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