1
as in to awaken
to cause to stop sleeping
the rooster's crow aroused me from my deep sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to awake
to cease to be asleep
set the alarm so we would arouse at 5:00 a.m.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to provoke
to rouse to strong feeling or action
the court's controversial decision aroused many to protest and to lobby the legislature for a constitutional amendment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of arouse
Rogen remembers the moment Apatow came up with one of the scenes that drew the biggest laughs in the film, in which Steve Carell’s character awkwardly tries to relieve himself while aroused.
—
Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
The horrors of Gaza have rightly aroused international outrage.
—Sam Fleischacker, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
In fact, studies have found that couples who share novel and arousing activities report greater satisfaction.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Still, some outdoor visitors seem to arouse the ants more than others and get stung as soon as the ants land.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
The horrors of Gaza have rightly aroused international outrage.
—Sam Fleischacker, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
In fact, studies have found that couples who share novel and arousing activities report greater satisfaction.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Still, some outdoor visitors seem to arouse the ants more than others and get stung as soon as the ants land.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arouse
Verb
-
With the nation’s freedom hanging in the balance, the founders discover true liberty cannot only be written into law – it must be awakened in the hearts of the people.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Cases are flooding the courts, with hearings in DC’s local criminal court routinely lasting late into the night and federal prosecutors awakened for new cases.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kyiv awoke to loud explosions, drones flying overhead and air defenses booming.—
Pavel Polityuk,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
-
After a lifeless Eagles offense awoke with a third-quarter touchdown to pull within 26-14, Davis forced Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford out of bounds on a punt-forcing sack by chasing him halfway across the field.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The combined vaccine has been extensively studied and consistently shown to provoke an immune response comparable to what’s seen when the individual vaccines are given separately, and without raising the risk of serious side effects.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Things that are shocking and terrible provoke our curiosity; if nothing ever went wrong, there would be no newspapers.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ames Ward, the producer who was seen on the stream waking Speed up that very morning, says the experience of bringing Speed to so many cities in little more than a month was simply incredible.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Do not wake me up under any circumstances.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Despite an innate gift for melodic beauty and a bedraggled voice that would rouse itself to startling intensity, he was often derailed by substance abuse issues and a deluge of releases that were clearly in need of an editor or A&R executive to prune.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
-
So there are plenty of juicy questions on the table for future weeks of the season, but it should be said that putting a character like Roddy at the center of Slow Horses has given season five a rousing comic boost.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Attendees left the event with tourniquets or trauma bandages and were encouraged to reach out to Bound Tree Medical to purchase additional supplies for their congregations.—
Nour Rahal,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Deadheading encourages chocolate cosmos plants to produce more flower buds, keeping plants productive.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
States generally had strong revenue growth in 2021 and 2022 because of economic growth, which included federal aid to stimulate the economy.—
Bram Sable-Smith,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The data delay comes at a time when economists were looking for signs of a rebound in the job market after months of disappointing reports and when the Fed is expected to announce at least one additional rate cut before the end of the year to stimulate growth.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arouse. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share