Standard Lemma guide

arouse

verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /əˈɹaʊz/
  • California, Southern: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /əˈɹæɔz/
  • rhymes with -aʊz
  • CMU ARPABET: ER0 AW1 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To stimulate or induce (feelings); pique.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • to arouse compassion, jealousy, or anger
  • Those insults aroused me to anger.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: animate, energize, inspire, fire, arouse, awaken, beghast, leaven, bright, brighten, cheer, enliven, enthuse, exalt, excite, fire up, ginger, ginger up, inflame, invigorate, inspirit, jazz, kindle, liven, liven up, perk up, quicken, spice, spice up, stimulate, vitalise

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To sexually stimulate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sex up, turn on, arouse, titillate

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To sexually stimulate.

To cause an erection of the penis or other physical signs of sexual arousal, such as fluid secretion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic, transitive

Examples

  • I can't wear wool underwear: it tends to arouse me at inappropriate times.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sex up, turn on, arouse, titillate

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To wake from sleep or stupor; to rouse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • 1996, Beruga (line translated by Dan Owsen), Terranigma. Nintendo of America. I have no idea who you are, but I thank you for arousing me.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bring round, wake up, arouse, awake, awaken, cry, knock up, rouse, roust, uprouse, wake, waken

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

stop sleeping

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She woke up to the sound of the alarm clock

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wake up, awake, awaken, wake, come alive, waken

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change state, turn

6

verb

Meaning 6

cause to become awake or conscious

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He was roused by the drunken men in the street
  • Please wake me at 6 AM.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: awaken, wake, waken, rouse, wake up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

Narrower terms: reawaken, bring to, bring back, bring round, bring around, call

7

verb

Meaning 7

cause to be alert and energetic

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Coffee and tea stimulate me
  • This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stimulate, brace, energize, energise, perk up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: affect

Narrower terms: cathect, animate, recreate, reanimate, revive, renovate, repair, quicken, vivify, revivify, invigorate, reinvigorate, enliven, liven, liven up

8

verb

Meaning 8

summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • raise the specter of unemployment
  • he conjured wild birds in the air
  • call down the spirits from the mountain

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: raise, conjure, conjure up, invoke, evoke, stir, call down, bring up, put forward, call forth

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: make, create

Narrower terms: curse, beshrew, damn, bedamn, anathemize, anathemise, imprecate, maledict, bless

9

verb

Meaning 9

call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • arouse pity
  • raise a smile
  • evoke sympathy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: elicit, enkindle, kindle, evoke, fire, raise, provoke

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: make, create

Narrower terms: strike a chord, touch a chord, invite, ask for, draw, rekindle, infatuate, prick, inflame, stir up, wake, ignite, heat, fire up, stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir, anger, upset, discompose, untune, disconcert, discomfit, shame, hurt, wound, injure, bruise, offend, spite, overwhelm, overpower, sweep over, whelm, overcome, overtake, interest

10

verb

Meaning 10

stimulate sexually

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This movie usually arouses the male audience

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sex, excite, turn on, wind up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir

Narrower terms: tempt

11

verb

Meaning 11

to begin moving,

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • As the thunder started the sleeping children began to stir

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stir

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: move

History

Etymology

From a- + rouse.

Across languages

Translations

105 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: գրգռել (grgṙel) — to stimulate feelings
  • Bulgarian: събуждам (sǎbuždam) — to stimulate feelings
  • Catalan: provocar — to stimulate feelings
  • Dutch: opwekken — to stimulate feelings
  • Finnish: herättää — to stimulate feelings
  • Galician: provocar — to stimulate feelings
  • German: reizen — to stimulate feelings
  • German: aufreizen — to stimulate feelings
  • German: anregen — to stimulate feelings
  • German: erregen — to stimulate feelings
  • German: entfachen — to stimulate feelings
  • German: erzeugen — to stimulate feelings
  • German: auslösen — to stimulate feelings
  • German: hervorrufen — to stimulate feelings
  • Greek: ξυπνώ (xypnó) — to stimulate feelings
  • Ancient Greek: ὄρνυμι (órnumi) — to stimulate feelings
  • Hungarian: kelt — to stimulate feelings
  • Hungarian: ébreszt — to stimulate feelings
  • Irish: spreag — to stimulate feelings
  • Italian: eccitare — to stimulate feelings
  • Italian: provocare — to stimulate feelings
  • Italian: stimolare — to stimulate feelings
  • Italian: suscitare — to stimulate feelings
  • Korean: 자극하다 (jageukhada) — to stimulate feelings
  • Māori: whakahiwa — to stimulate feelings
  • Māori: nanawe — to stimulate feelings
  • Polish: wzbudzać — to stimulate feelings
  • Polish: wzbudzić — to stimulate feelings
  • Portuguese: provocar — to stimulate feelings
  • Portuguese: incitar — to stimulate feelings
  • Russian: вызыва́ть (vyzyvátʹ) — to stimulate feelings
  • Russian: вы́звать (výzvatʹ) — to stimulate feelings
  • Scottish Gaelic: beothaich — to stimulate feelings
  • Spanish: provocar — to stimulate feelings
  • Spanish: incitar — to stimulate feelings
  • Spanish: concitar — to stimulate feelings
  • Armenian: գրգռել (grgṙel) — to sexually stimulate
  • Bulgarian: възбуждам (vǎzbuždam) — to sexually stimulate
  • Catalan: excitar — to sexually stimulate
  • Dutch: opwinden — to sexually stimulate
  • Esperanto: amorveki — to sexually stimulate
  • Finnish: kiihottaa — to sexually stimulate
  • French: émoustiller — to sexually stimulate
  • French: exciter — to sexually stimulate
  • Galician: arreitar — to sexually stimulate
  • Georgian: აღგზნება (aɣgzneba) — to sexually stimulate
  • German: erregen — to sexually stimulate
  • German: reizen — to sexually stimulate
  • German: aufreizen — to sexually stimulate
  • Greek: ερεθίζω (erethízo) — to sexually stimulate
  • Greek: διεγείρω (diegeíro) — to sexually stimulate
  • Hungarian: felizgat — to sexually stimulate
  • Hungarian: izgalomba hoz — to sexually stimulate
  • Italian: eccitare — to sexually stimulate
  • Italian: arrapare — to sexually stimulate
  • Japanese: 興奮する (kōfun suru) — to sexually stimulate
  • Korean: 자극하다 (jageukhada) — to sexually stimulate
  • Māori: tore — to sexually stimulate
  • Māori: pīkoikoi — to sexually stimulate
  • Norwegian: tenne — to sexually stimulate
  • Polish: pobudzać — to sexually stimulate
  • Polish: pobudzić — to sexually stimulate
  • Polish: podniecać — to sexually stimulate
  • Polish: podniecić — to sexually stimulate
  • Portuguese: provocar — to sexually stimulate
  • Portuguese: excitar — to sexually stimulate
  • Portuguese: arreitar — to sexually stimulate
  • Russian: возбужда́ть (vozbuždátʹ) — to sexually stimulate
  • Russian: возбуди́ть (vozbudítʹ) — to sexually stimulate
  • Serbo-Croatian: узбудити — to sexually stimulate
  • Serbo-Croatian: uzbuditi — to sexually stimulate
  • Spanish: excitar — to sexually stimulate
  • Spanish: encalabrinar — to sexually stimulate
  • Ukrainian: збуджувати (zbudžuvaty) — to sexually stimulate
  • Ukrainian: збудити (zbudyty) — to sexually stimulate
  • Catalan: despertar — to awaken
  • Catalan: desvetllar — to awaken
  • Finnish: herättää — to awaken
  • German: wachmachen — to awaken
  • German: aufwecken — to awaken
  • German: aus dem Schlaf holen — to awaken
  • German: wachkriegen — to awaken
  • German: wachrütteln — to awaken
  • German: erwecken — to awaken
  • Greek: αφυπνίζω (afypnízo) — to awaken
  • Hungarian: ébreszt — to awaken
  • Hungarian: felébreszt — to awaken
  • Hungarian: kelt — to awaken
  • Hungarian: felkelt — to awaken
  • Irish: múscail — to awaken
  • Italian: risvegliare — to awaken
  • Italian: svegliare — to awaken
  • Māori: whakahiwa — to awaken
  • Māori: whakaara — to awaken
  • Māori: whakaoho — to awaken
  • Polish: budzić — to awaken
  • Polish: obudzić — to awaken
  • Portuguese: despertar — to awaken
  • Russian: пробужда́ть (probuždátʹ) — to awaken
  • Russian: пробуди́ть (probudítʹ) — to awaken
  • Sanskrit: बोधयति (bodhayati) — to awaken
  • Scottish Gaelic: beothaich — to awaken
  • Spanish: despertar — to awaken
  • Spanish: despabilar — to awaken
  • Spanish: espabilar — to awaken