Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To cause (someone) to be active, attentive, or excited.
  • transitive verb To stimulate sexual desire in.
  • transitive verb To give rise to (a feeling, for example); stir up: synonym: provoke.
  • transitive verb To awaken (someone) from sleep.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To excite into action; stir or put in motion or exertion; awaken: as, to arouse attention; to arouse one from sleep; to arouse dormant faculties.
  • Synonyms To rouse, wake up, awaken, animate, incite, stimulate, kindle, warm.
  • noun The act of arousing; an alarm.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To excite to action from a state of rest; to stir, or put in motion or exertion; to rouse; to excite

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To stimulate feelings.
  • verb To sexually stimulate.
  • verb To wake from sleep or stupor.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
  • verb cause to be alert and energetic
  • verb stimulate sexually
  • verb cause to become awake or conscious
  • verb summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
  • verb to begin moving,
  • verb stop sleeping

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From rouse, on the model of such pairs as rise, arise.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

a- +‎ rouse.

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Examples

  • Country Road, "or something equally simple, for I would not have the title arouse any appetite which the book itself could not satisfy.

    The Friendly Road: New Adventures in Contentment David Grayson 1908

  • Following the links as the descriptive page titles arouse your interest can keep you occupied for quite a while.

    Comparative Deaths in Television and Film Steven Barnes 2008

  • * By "arouse," I don't mean sexually, I am referring to Marvel and DC's ongoing use of "events" and "deaths" to arouse interest in SCSJ** instead of quality comic book storytelling that would attract a far wider audience.

    The ADD Blog at Comic Book Galaxy 2009

  • He could "arouse" life in me, because he was so refreshing to be around.

    Yahoo! Sports - Top News 2009

  • * By "arouse," I don't mean sexually, I am referring to Marvel and DC's ongoing use of "events" and "deaths" to arouse interest in SCSJ** instead of quality comic book storytelling that would attract a far wider audience.

    The ADD Blog at Comic Book Galaxy 2009

  • 'arouse' the millions of Nintendo's core gamers that also own Wiis and felt understandably uninspired by the announcement of the Vitality Sensor.

    billingsgazette.com 2009

  • The fact that there are 12,000,000 defectives in the US should arouse our best endeavors to push this procedure to the maximum.

    A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010

  • It helps explain why, in these hard times, she and her legacy arouse even more interest than they did in the boom era at the end of the 20th century.

    What Would The Iron Lady Do? Charles Moore 2011

  • “The use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims may arouse sensitivity and create confusion among Muslims in the country,” Abdullah Mohd Zin said.

    Religion News Roundup — Islam: Music, Chess, and Sin 2009

  • She is not the woman to arouse in me such uncontrolled desire that for gratification I would do one ill deed, or put the slightest hurt upon the least of human creatures.

    The Kempton-Wace Letters 2010

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