agitate
verb
ag·i·tate
ˈa-jə-ˌtāt 
agitated; agitating
1
: to excite and often trouble the mind or feelings of : disturb
My presence did not appear to agitate or irritate him as before, and he accepted my services quietly …—
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë2
a
: to discuss excitedly and earnestly
b
: to stir up public discussion of
… trying to agitate the old question of the embezzlement of the remains of the Confederate Treasury.—Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren3
a
obsolete
: to give motion to
b
: to move with an irregular, rapid, or violent action
The storm agitated the sea.
: to attempt to arouse public feeling
agitated for better schools
Examples of agitate in a Sentence
If I talk about the problem with him it just agitates him even more.
Some members of the union have been agitating for a strike.
A few local residents have been agitating against a military presence.
The mixture is heated and then agitated.
Recent Examples on the Web
One group, led by Paul as well as Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mike Lee of Utah, is agitating for deeper spending cuts, noting that the bill as written is projected to balloon federal deficits.
—Arkansas Online, 4 June 2025
The dryer balls will bounce around and agitate the filling in your duvet, allowing for more efficient drying and constant fluffing.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 31 May 2025
Fiscal hawks, meanwhile, have been agitating for those steep cuts.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 14 May 2025
Some Israeli officials have agitated for Israel to rebuild Jewish settlements in the enclave, but Mr. Netanyahu has rebuffed the prospect for now.
—Samuel Granados, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for agitate
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Arkansas Online, 4 June 2025
The dryer balls will bounce around and agitate the filling in your duvet, allowing for more efficient drying and constant fluffing.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 31 May 2025
Fiscal hawks, meanwhile, have been agitating for those steep cuts.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 14 May 2025
Some Israeli officials have agitated for Israel to rebuild Jewish settlements in the enclave, but Mr. Netanyahu has rebuffed the prospect for now.
—Samuel Granados, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for agitate
Cite this Entry
“Agitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agitate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
agitate
verb
ag·i·tate
ˈaj-ə-ˌtāt
agitated; agitating
1
: to move with an irregular, rapid, or violent action
water agitated by wind
3
: to try to stir up public feeling
agitate for equal rights
agitatedly
adverb
-ˌtāt-əd-lē
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