rouse

UK: /ˈraʊz/ US: /raʊz/ ,(rouz)

Inflections of 'rouse' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

rouses

v 3rd person singular

rousing

v pres p

roused

v past

roused

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

rouse¹ /raʊz/   v., roused, rous•ing. 

1. to (cause to) come out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, etc.: [~ + object]
   tried to rouse her but she was still unconscious.
   [no object]
   She wouldn't rouse.
2. to cause excitement, indignation, or anger in:
   [~ + object] His speech roused the people from their apathy.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

rouse¹ (rouz),  v., roused, rous•ing, n. 

v.t. 

1. to bring out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, fancied security, apathy, depression, etc.:
   He was roused to action by courageous words.
2. to stir or incite to strong indignation or anger.
3. Animal Husbandry to cause (game) to start from a covert or lair.
4. Nautical, Naval Terms to pull by main strength; haul.

v.i. 

5. to come out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, apathy, depression, etc.
6. Animal Husbandry to start up from a covert or lair, as game.

n. 

7. a rousing.
8. a signal for rousing;
   reveille.

• 1480–90 in sense "(of a hawk) to shake the feathers''; 1525–35 for def. 3; origin, originally uncertain

rous•ed•ness  (rou′zid nis), n.  rous′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. arouse, stir, excite, animate, stimulate, awaken, kindle, inflame, fire.
• 1, 2. See incite. 
• 2. provoke, anger.

Antonyms

• 1, 2. lull, calm, pacify.

rouse² (rouz),  n. 

1. [Archaic.] a carouse.
2. [Obs.] a bumper of liquor.

• perh. variant of carouse (drink carouse being wrongly analyzed as drink a rouse) 1595–1605

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

rouse / raʊz/ verb

1. to bring (oneself or another person) out of sleep, unconsciousness, etc, or (of a person) to come to consciousness in this way
2. (transitive) to provoke, stir, or excite: to rouse someone's anger
3. rouse oneself ⇒ to become active or energetic
4. to start or cause to start from cover: to rouse game birds
5. (intransitive) (of hawks) to ruffle the feathers and cause them to stand briefly on end (a sign of contentment)
6. / raʊs/(intransitive) followed by on: to speak scoldingly or rebukingly (to)

noun

1. 
   another term for reveille

Etymology: 15th Century (in sense 5): origin obscure

rouse / raʊz/ noun

1. another word for carousal

Etymology: 17th Century: probably a variant of carouse (as in the phrase drink a rouse, erroneous for drink carouse); compare Danish drikke en rus to become drunk, German Rausch drunkenness