excite
/ɪkˈsaɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪkˈsaɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ik-ˈsīt ek-/ (ame, mw)
excite — verb
- excitepresent simple I / you / we / they
- exciteshe / she / it
- excitedpast simple
- exciting-ing form
1. to give someone a strong feeling of happiness and eager interest because of an e
to give someone a strong feeling of happiness and eager interest because of an event or experience that is happening or that they expect to happen
Talia's piano performance at the school concert excited the whole audience.
excite + person as direct object
The news that Ife had won the science prize excited her more than anything.
passive alternative: be excited + by/at/about
The announcement that a popular author would visit excited Kevin's classmates greatly.
Seeing the baby elephant at the park excited the children in Karim's tour group.
文法句型
excite + person
be excited + about/by + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often occurs in the passive form ('were excited about'). The subject is typically a concrete event, piece of news, or opportunity rather than an abstract idea.
常見錯誤
2. to cause a person to feel a certain emotion or to respond in a particular manner
to cause a person to feel a certain emotion or to respond in a particular manner to something they see, hear, or experience
The museum's new exhibition of ancient pottery excited great interest among local art lovers.
excite + abstract reaction (interest)
Iris's speech about plastic waste in the ocean excited a strong reaction from the audience.
The discovery of old Roman coins in the field excited curiosity throughout the village.
Images of the flooded villages excited deep sympathy in viewers across the country.
文法句型
excite + abstract reaction/emotion + in + person/group
用法筆記
The object is an abstract noun expressing a feeling or response (interest, curiosity, sympathy, anger, controversy) — never a concrete person or thing. This sense is more formal than sense 1.
常見錯誤
3. to make someone feel sexual desire or physical arousal
to make someone feel sexual desire or physical arousal
Quan found that dancing closely under the dim lights excited him more than expected.
excite + person (sexual context)
The slow romantic scene in the film excited strong feelings between the two main characters.
Sari admitted that the gentle touch on her neck excited her in ways she could not describe.
The slow dance under the moonlight excited Yan in a way that surprised him.
文法句型
excite + person
用法筆記
More direct and less common than the informal phrasal verb 'turn on' in everyday speech. Use with care in formal or mixed company contexts.
常見錯誤
4. to increase the level of activity in a physical substance, such as a cell, nerve
to increase the level of activity in a physical substance, such as a cell, nerve fibre, or molecule, so that it responds or changes state
Sunlight excites special pigment cells in the leaves of green plants.
excite + cells (scientific subject)
A small electrical pulse excites the nerve fibres in the patient's damaged arm.
When a chemical reaction excites the molecules inside the flask, the liquid begins to glow.
The drug works by exciting specific receptors in the brain's memory centres.
文法句型
excite + cell/particle/molecule/nerve
用法筆記
A technical term in biology, chemistry, and neuroscience. Not used in everyday conversation for this meaning. The passive form ('are excited by') is frequent in academic writing.