aroused; arousing
1
: to awaken from sleep
was aroused from a deep sleep by a loud noise
2
: to stimulate to action or to bodily readiness for activity : excite
a book that has aroused debate
3
: to excite (someone) sexually : to cause sexual arousal in (someone)
… girls whose perfume scent frightened him and aroused him.—
Elizabeth Berg
Elizabeth Berg
: to awake from sleep : stir
Examples of arouse in a Sentence
The report aroused a great deal of public interest.
The husky sound of her voice could always arouse him.
Their proposal is certain to arouse the opposition.
Recent Examples on the Web
For instance, men tend to be aroused by new partners, while women often crave new experiences with the same partner.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Murder by Antifreeze: How a Mother and Daughter Plotted to Kill Their Family Members – One at a Time
The pastor said his suspicions were aroused when Shaun, who seemed healthy, died, and Diane seemed unfazed by it.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Karsh is aided in the investigation by Rebecca’s sister, Terry (also Kruger), who is acerbic, affectionate, and visibly aroused by conspiracy theories.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
As Saxon and Lochlan try to decipher what happened between them, we are asked to think about why we’re aroused (or repulsed) by it.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
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Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Murder by Antifreeze: How a Mother and Daughter Plotted to Kill Their Family Members – One at a Time
The pastor said his suspicions were aroused when Shaun, who seemed healthy, died, and Diane seemed unfazed by it.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Karsh is aided in the investigation by Rebecca’s sister, Terry (also Kruger), who is acerbic, affectionate, and visibly aroused by conspiracy theories.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
As Saxon and Lochlan try to decipher what happened between them, we are asked to think about why we’re aroused (or repulsed) by it.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arouse
Cite this Entry
“Arouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arouse. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
arouse
transitive verb
aroused; arousing
1
a
: to awake from sleep
b
: to rouse or stimulate to action
c
: to excite (someone) sexually : to cause sexual arousal in (someone)
2
: to give rise to
a response aroused by a stimulus
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