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
In addition to arousing nostalgia, these visual memories build immediate connections with the people who were present.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
The mob is aroused and labile; the lumpy cops have no control, over the situation or over themselves.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024
Listen to this article Loading your audio article Even after midnight, a guy on the train with a shopping cart full of stuff isn’t likely to arouse a whole lot of suspicion.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2024
His political takes are even more provocative, meant to arouse, anger and annoy but also to provoke push-back, stirring debate and discussion.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arouse 
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.
Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
The mob is aroused and labile; the lumpy cops have no control, over the situation or over themselves.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024
Listen to this article Loading your audio article Even after midnight, a guy on the train with a shopping cart full of stuff isn’t likely to arouse a whole lot of suspicion.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2024
His political takes are even more provocative, meant to arouse, anger and annoy but also to provoke push-back, stirring debate and discussion.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arouse
Dictionary Entries Near arouse
Cite this Entry
“Arouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arouse. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share