arouse
/əˈraʊz/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈraʊz/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈrau̇z/ (ame, mw)
arouse — verb
1. to cause an inner feeling or reaction to begin in a person or group — for exampl
to cause an inner feeling or reaction to begin in a person or group — for example, curiosity, anger, suspicion, or sympathy — without yet making them act on it.
The strange noise from the attic aroused Nikolai's curiosity straight away.
arouse + curiosity (typical collocation)
The mayor's careful answer aroused suspicion among several local reporters.
arouse + suspicion (typical collocation)
Photos of the flooded village aroused deep sympathy across the country.
The new tax law aroused anger in small shop owners and farmers.
One careless joke at dinner was enough to arouse the old man's temper.
文法句型
arouse + noun (feeling)
arouse somebody's + noun (feeling)
用法筆記
Subject is usually a thing or event (a smell, a comment, a photo), not a person speaking on purpose. The object is normally an emotion noun: curiosity, suspicion, anger, interest, sympathy, fear.
常見錯誤
2. to cause sexual desire in someone, or to come to feel sexual desire because of s
to cause sexual desire in someone, or to come to feel sexual desire because of someone or something.
The film's long bedroom scene clearly aroused several couples sitting near the back of the cinema.
Some readers wrote that the novel's love scenes had aroused them deeply.
Marco was easily aroused by the soft sound of Nadia's voice.
The slow dance in the dim hallway aroused Daniel almost at once.
- turn off
informal; to make someone lose sexual interest
文法句型
arouse somebody
be aroused by something
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive (be aroused by). The object is a person, never an emotion word in this sense — distinguish from sense 1, where the object is a feeling such as 'curiosity' or 'anger'.
常見錯誤
3. to stir a person or group out of a quiet or hopeless state so that they take rea
to stir a person or group out of a quiet or hopeless state so that they take real action.
The young leader's speech aroused the crowd to march to the city hall.
arouse somebody to do something
Reports of unfair pay finally aroused the factory workers to action.
arouse somebody to + action (noun)
Nothing the manager said could arouse the tired team to fight back in the second half.
The coach's halftime words aroused the players, and they ran back onto the field with new energy.
- discourage
to take away someone's willingness to act
文法句型
arouse somebody (to do something)
arouse somebody to + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the result is movement or behaviour (people start doing something), not just an inner feeling. Often appears with a 'to'-phrase showing the action that follows.
常見錯誤
4. to make a sleeping person become awake, often by noise, touch, or a sudden event
to make a sleeping person become awake, often by noise, touch, or a sudden event.
A loud bang from the kitchen aroused Grandpa from his afternoon nap.
arouse somebody from + noun (sleep state)
The nurse gently aroused Mr. Okonkwo to give him his evening medicine.
Heavy rain on the metal roof aroused the campers well before sunrise.
Linnea was aroused at three in the morning by her phone buzzing on the desk.
- lull
to make someone fall asleep, often by gentle sound or movement
文法句型
arouse somebody (from something)
be aroused from sleep
用法筆記
Formal — in everyday speech most Taiwanese learners hear 'wake up' or 'wake somebody'. Often follows the pattern 'arouse somebody from sleep / a nap / a dream'. Don't confuse with sense 3 (push into action): sense 4 is only about leaving the state of sleep.