Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

rouse

1 American  
[rouz] / raʊz /

verb (used with object)

roused, rousing

  1. to bring out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, fancied security, apathy, depression, etc..

    He was roused to action by courageous words.
    Synonyms:
    inflame, kindle, awaken, stimulate, animate, excite, stir, arouse
    Antonyms:
    pacify, calm, lull

  2. to stir or incite to strong indignation or anger.

    Synonyms:
    anger, provoke

  3. to cause (game) to start from a covert or lair.

  4. Nautical Now Rare. to pull by main strength; haul.

verb (used without object)

roused, rousing

  1. to come out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, apathy, depression, etc.

  2. to start up from a covert or lair, as game.

noun

  1. a rousing.

  2. a signal for rousing; reveille.

rouse 2 American  
[rouz] / raʊz /

noun

  1. Archaic. a carouse.

  2. Obsolete. a bumper of liquor.

rouse 1 British  
/ ˈraʊzɪdnɪs, raʊz /

verb

  1. to bring (oneself or another person) out of sleep, unconsciousness, etc, or (of a person) to come to consciousness in this way

  2. (tr) to provoke, stir, or excite

    to rouse someone's anger

  3. to become active or energetic

  4. hunting to start or cause to start from cover

    to rouse game birds

  5. (intr) falconry (of hawks) to ruffle the feathers and cause them to stand briefly on end (a sign of contentment)

  6. to speak scoldingly or rebukingly (to)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. another term for reveille

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
rouse 2 British  
/ raʊz /

noun

  1. an alcoholic drink, esp a full measure

  2. another word for carousal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See incite.

Other Word Forms

  • rousedness noun
  • rouser noun
  • unroused adjective

Etymology

Origin of rouse1

First recorded in 1425–75 in sense “(of a hawk) to shake the feathers”; 1525–35 rouse 1 for def. 3; origin uncertain

Origin of rouse2

First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps variant of carouse ( drink carouse being wrongly analyzed as drink a rouse )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When it comes to exciting wide men, however, it's hard to look past those elite dribblers who rouse crowds and make full-backs fret.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

However, if the U.S. bats do not rouse from their slumber, the championship game will be a game the Americans curse forever.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

The 40-year-old Wawrinka must try and rouse himself on his Australian Open farewell after a gruelling five-set win in round two.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

Alice frantically tried to rouse her 80-year-old husband, then raced downstairs to the lobby in her bathrobe, shouting for help.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 1, 2025

Not even the malignant power of Kunthi could rouse me: I felt too remote.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.