excite

excite — verb

1. to give someone a strong feeling of happiness and eager interest because of an e

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

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

Example

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

Common collocations
  • excite the crowd
  • excite the audience
  • excite children
  • excite fans
  • excite students
Synonyms
  • thrill

    stronger, suggesting a sudden rush of intense excitement

  • delight

    focuses on pleasure and satisfaction rather than eager energy

  • energize

    emphasises giving fresh motivation and vitality

Antonyms
  • bore

    opposite effect of making someone feel disinterested

  • calm

    sedates rather than stirs positive emotion

Grammar Patterns

excite + person

be excited + about/by + noun phrase

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

I excited about the trip to the beach.
I was excited about the trip to the beach.
'excite' is a transitive verb and must take a direct object; in the passive, the past participle follows 'be'.

2. to cause a person to feel a certain emotion or to respond in a particular manner

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to cause a person to feel a certain emotion or to respond in a particular manner to something they see, hear, or experience

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • excite interest
  • excite curiosity
  • excite sympathy
  • excite controversy
  • excite anger
  • excite debate
Synonyms
  • arouse

    more formal, common in written English

  • provoke

    often suggests a negative or strong reaction

  • spark

    informal, implies a sudden beginning of a feeling

Antonyms
  • suppress

    to prevent a feeling from being expressed

  • dampen

    to make a feeling less strong

Grammar Patterns

excite + abstract reaction/emotion + in + person/group

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

The news excited my friend a lot.' (ambiguous — suggests sense 1, happiness, but the intended meaning was sense 2, causing a reaction).
The news excited strong reactions among my friends.
use an abstract emotion as the direct object to make the meaning clear.

3. to make someone feel sexual desire or physical arousal

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make someone feel sexual desire or physical arousal

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • excite someone sexually
  • excite desire
  • excite passion
  • excite feelings
Synonyms
  • arouse

    more common and slightly less direct; preferred in neutral contexts

  • turn on

    informal, frequent in casual spoken English

  • stimulate

    broader term; can be sexual or intellectual

Grammar Patterns

excite + person

Usage Note

More direct and less common than the informal phrasal verb 'turn on' in everyday speech. Use with care in formal or mixed company contexts.

Common Mistakes

The movie excited me.' (without context, the hearer may interpret sense 1 or sense 3 differently).
The romantic atmosphere in the room excited them both.
provide contextual cues when using this sense to avoid ambiguity.

4. to increase the level of activity in a physical substance, such as a cell, nerve

4.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • excite cells
  • excite molecules
  • excite electrons
  • excite nerves
  • excite receptors
  • excite particles
Synonyms
  • stimulate

    broader technical term; 'stimulate' can be biological, while 'excite' often implies a change in energy state

  • activate

    emphasises turning something on or making it functional

  • energize

    specifically about raising energy levels

Antonyms
  • calm

    reduces activity level; informal opposite in biological contexts

  • sedate

    medical opposite, used for nerve or brain activity

Grammar Patterns

excite + cell/particle/molecule/nerve

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

The fun music excited the particles.' (incorrect register — mixes casual tone with technical vocabulary).
The laser pulse excited the electrons in the semiconductor material.
maintain formal tone when using the technical sense.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe making someone feel positive emotion, but with important differences. Excite (B1) is the most general, meaning to make someone feel eager and full of energy about something that is happening or will happen. Thrill (B2) suggests a sudden, intense rush of excitement — stronger and often shorter-lived. Delight (B2) focuses on great pleasure and satisfaction rather than energetic anticipation. Energize (B2) emphasises giving someone fresh motivation and vitality, often after tiredness. Stimulate (B2) can mean either intellectual arousal or physical activation, and is broader than the others. For example: 'The trip to the museum excited the children.' (general eagerness); 'The surprise party thrilled her completely.' (intense rush of joy); 'A short walk energized him for the afternoon's work.' (restored energy).

excite ↗thrilldelight ↗energize ↗stimulate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be/get excited about
  • nothing to get excited about
  • excite an emotional response
  • excite public interest

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Excite comes from the Latin word 'excitare', meaning 'to call out, rouse, or summon'. This was formed from 'ex-' (meaning 'out') and 'citare' (meaning 'to summon, call'). The word passed into English through Old French 'exciter' in the 14th century. Originally it meant 'to set in motion' or 'to stir up', and over time it developed the emotional and scientific meanings we use today.