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
As anger sets in, your body becomes physiologically aroused and prepares to fight.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 9 May 2024
Unlike the arena, the zoo’s public financing has aroused almost no controversy, at least for the moment.
—Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 8 May 2024
Already bounded by a past tragedy, the working relationship proves to be both messy and arousing.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2024
The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction arouse understandable anger.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The Sativa strain of cannabis will be more useful for female arousal for someone who is just in a funk and needs a little high feeling in their mind to get aroused.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
The 1878 eclipse in the U.S. aroused fears of Armageddon, moving one man to kill his young son with an ax and slit his own throat.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Venus’ entrance to Aries arouses your inner shopper!
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Such readings seem almost chilly enough to arouse recollections of winter, and perhaps to suggest that January might still lurk nearby, concealed in the shadows, ready to taunt and mock the fanciers of spring.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 9 May 2024
Unlike the arena, the zoo’s public financing has aroused almost no controversy, at least for the moment.
—Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 8 May 2024
Already bounded by a past tragedy, the working relationship proves to be both messy and arousing.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2024
The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction arouse understandable anger.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The Sativa strain of cannabis will be more useful for female arousal for someone who is just in a funk and needs a little high feeling in their mind to get aroused.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
The 1878 eclipse in the U.S. aroused fears of Armageddon, moving one man to kill his young son with an ax and slit his own throat.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Venus’ entrance to Aries arouses your inner shopper!
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Such readings seem almost chilly enough to arouse recollections of winter, and perhaps to suggest that January might still lurk nearby, concealed in the shadows, ready to taunt and mock the fanciers of spring.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arouse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near arouse
Cite this Entry
“Arouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arouse. Accessed 17 May. 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
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