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
The publicity staff is pulling out all the stops to arouse interest in the show, including a Hollywood premiere in New York complete with lights, blazing Bat symbols, plush red carpets, champagne and popcorn.
—
Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
The rhetoric, particularly about narcotics, aroused skepticism.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
For reasons that are quite possibly too unbearable to contemplate, a large group of American voters was not repulsed by such slander—they were actually aroused by it—and our politics have not been the same.
—Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Now, Elizabeth and Michael must find a way to send her back to her time, while not arousing the suspicion of Michael’s mother and sister during their family vacation.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
The rhetoric, particularly about narcotics, aroused skepticism.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
For reasons that are quite possibly too unbearable to contemplate, a large group of American voters was not repulsed by such slander—they were actually aroused by it—and our politics have not been the same.
—Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Now, Elizabeth and Michael must find a way to send her back to her time, while not arousing the suspicion of Michael’s mother and sister during their family vacation.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arouse
Verb
-
Venus’ clash with Uranus awakens your kinky side!—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
-
But our power is about awakening something beyond fear and cynicism in the human nervous system.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Ashur awakes in this alternative timeline, but not all is blissful.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Billions of the alewives, a small silvery invasive fish, died that summer and awoke citizens to the fact that something was wrong with the region’s greatest natural resource.—
Theodore J. Karamanski,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Chris Young’s Beyond Earth column explores the intersection of space technology and policy, providing thought-provoking commentary on the latest advancements and regulatory developments in the sector.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The International Shark Attack File, run by the Florida Museum of Natural History, classifies the attacks as provoked or unprovoked based on whether a human initiated the contact.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Maybe this will be the thing that finally wakes them up.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
All this within a year unless KC wakes the hell up.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And yes, music stars have a lot more shots at, and knack for, rousing a large audience.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Jones, who played himself in his brief cameo, gave a rousing monologue about fatherhood to Hamm’s character in the show.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The numbers have been slowly ticking up for over a year – a rare bit of good news for a government that has spent billions of dollars for more than a decade encouraging people to do just that.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Guests are encouraged to bring camp chairs or blankets.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Then, they are manually placed on Multi Electrode Arrays (MEAs), a grid of tiny electrodes on a biocompatible substrate chip that records and stimulates neurons using 32 electrodes grouped into four sets of eight.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
-
To wit, lymphatic brushes join the ranks of depuffing tools like gua shas, face rollers, and dry brushes; most working to stimulate lymphatic drainage, your body’s natural detoxification process.—
Emily Orofino,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arouse. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
