AROUSE Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

arouse

verb

ə-ˈrau̇z

Definition of arouse

as in to awaken

to cause to stop sleeping the rooster's crow aroused me from my deep sleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

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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 song was inspired by his boyfriend, who, when aroused, came over his head. — Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026 In the hour-long special, taped the Skirball in New York City in March, Barone aims to shock, amuse, and arouse. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 June 2026 Overview The emergence of teleSUR has aroused significant interest due to its uniqueness of being the first regional television channel purely financed by more than three Latin American states. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026 There may be many spouses out there who are aroused by mother-in-law cosplay. — John Hodgman, New York Times, 22 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for arouse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for arouse

Verb

The film starts in Paris but Taro’s story begins in her native Leipzig in 1932, where Gerta Pohorylle, as she is then known, is a young woman whose political conscience is awakened by the rise of fascism.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
The group uncovers betrayal within its own ranks and faces a battle for the fate of the world, ultimately awakening their true powers and restoring peace, though a new threat emerges quietly in the shadows.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of awaken

Verb

The boy awoke at a family cottage in northern Ontario in 2024 with a bat resting across his nose and mouth.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Newcastle yearned to win, to fulfil the dream awoken by Keegan — who died of cancer last month — and Isak was part of the team that finally did it, a languid forward with a kiss for a touch who scored at Wembley when Liverpool were beaten.

— George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of awake

Verb

This year's Ig Nobel Prizes — which are awarded for humorous, yet thought-provoking research — have been announced, but not on their home turf.

— Ari Daniel, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
The insinuations of business hucksterism are one thing that could provoke him, more intimate details are another.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of provoke

Verb

Nobody ever seriously believed Belichick was going to morph into a headphones-wearing, sideline-waking Susan Lucci, the soap opera megastar who waited 19 years before finally winning a Daytime Emmy.

— Steve Buckley, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
The best music; Cars still had a little style and nothing woke about sports.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of wake

Verb

Where else, after all, but at one’s alma mater can a 40-year-old do a keg stand to rousing applause?

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
The tennis ace stepped behind the club’s plush bar to serve his signature drink, Fritzy Spicy Margarita, and welcomed invitees with a rousing toast.

— Paul Chi, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of rouse

Verb

By taking stem cells from a host’s own body and encouraging them to differentiate before mixing them with a commercially available, soluble matrix gel, researchers may have cracked the most critical problems in the transplant process.

— Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
The bark can also be stripped from the branch, called girdling, which encourages faster root growth.

— Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of encourage

Verb

Opposition leaders say Meloni’s government has yet to find concrete ways to stimulate long-term economic growth beyond just controlling public debt and state deficits.

— Silvia Stellacci, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Once inside the brain, the nanoparticles would be controlled—to stimulate neurons in specific areas of the brain or to read neuron activity—through a specialized cap or headset containing magnetic coils.

— Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of stimulate

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“Arouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arouse. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of arouse

verb

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