AROUSE Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

arouse

verb

ə-ˈrau̇z

Definition of arouse next

as in to awaken

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

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to awake

to cease to be asleep set the alarm so we would arouse at 5:00 a.m.

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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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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 And each movement aroused an urge to move in the woman lying above, as if an avalanche of imperceptible but palpable vibrations had been triggered. —

Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026 There, the tortoise became visibly aroused seeing another tortoise. —

Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026 The gobbling box will often arouse an old tom that nothing else can stir. —

Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026 The harder a person tries to force sleep, the more aroused the brain becomes, the more elusive sleep becomes. —

Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arouse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for arouse

Verb

Daniela López stars in the film as Julia, an introverted music student whose curiosity and passion for protest is awakened amid a growing feminist movement on her university campus, and with #MeToo as a backdrop.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 June 2026
Dawn’s main character, Lilith, awakens in the care of an alien species long after Earth has been destroyed by nuclear war.

— Alexandra Oliva, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026