arouse

/əˈraʊz/
verb
  1. To wake someone from sleep.
    • The fire alarm aroused the entire building at 3 a.m.
    • She was aroused from her nap by the sound of the doorbell.
    • It took a cold glass of water to arouse the sleeping guard.
  2. To cause a feeling, emotion, or reaction in someone.
    • The speech aroused a sense of pride in the audience.
    • His comments aroused anger among the crowd.
    • The strange noise aroused my curiosity.
  3. To cause someone to become sexually excited.
    • Certain scents can arouse feelings of desire.
    • The book's love scenes were written to arouse the reader.
    • The romantic music helped arouse the couple's passion.
Antonyms
What does "arouse" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean