Synonyms

arouse

American

[uh-rouz] / əˈraʊz /

verb (used with object)

aroused, arousing

to stir to action or strong response; excite.

to arouse a crowd;
to arouse suspicion.

Synonyms:

fire, kindle, stimulate, instigate, provoke, incite, inspire, inspirit, animate

Antonyms:

calm
to stimulate sexually.
to awaken; wake up.

The footsteps aroused the dog.

verb (used without object)

aroused, arousing

to awake or become aroused.

At dawn the farmers began to arouse.

arouse British

/ əˈraʊz /

verb

(tr) to evoke or elicit (a reaction, emotion, or response); stimulate
to awaken from sleep

"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

Other Word Forms

arousability noun
arousable adjective
arousal noun
arouser noun
rearouse verb
unarousable adjective
unarousing adjective

Etymology

Origin of arouse

First recorded in 1585–95; a- ³ + rouse ¹, modeled on arise

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.

They may arouse the ire of politicians and the public, but they also do much that is useful.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 19, 2025

Hwang uses it to fill time and arouse suspicion, but there is little narrative heft from this plotline until the finale.

From Salon • Dec. 27, 2024

Local media reports that a 40-year-old man was arrested on Sunday and an investigation opened into the possible passing of "intelligence to a foreign power in order to arouse hostilities in France".

From BBC • Jul. 23, 2024

The number suggests that the fraudster found a way to generate listens for the song, but not at numbers that would arouse suspicion.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2024

He was still making light of the matter so as not to arouse my suspicions.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

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