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

Around three in the morning, after the evening Kenzo had died, the woman had suddenly woken up, having been roused by the sound of water coming from the house next door. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Full of big moments, rousing choruses, barstool sing-alongs, and even a few weepers, Stages is an album calibrated to the live experience. — Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 3 Aug. 2026

One by one, as if roused from a trance, my fellow staffers rose from their workstations and filed to the exit. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026

This one laid the groundwork for an entire genre with its gross-out gags, copious substance abuse, and rousing victory at the end. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 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

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