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
But his margin over more agitating players like Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames is relatively small.
—Carol Schram, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Trump’s statements agitate U.S. allies In Washington, there’s a strong bipartisan consensus that the U.S. must prevail in its economic and tech rivalry with China to maintain its global leadership.
—Ken Moritsugu, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025
To hand wash, fill up a basin with cool water, add detergent for delicates, and gently agitate before rinsing and squeezing out excess water.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2025
Their populations eventually agitate, sometimes violently, for freedom.
—Sarah Yager, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for agitate 
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Carol Schram, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Trump’s statements agitate U.S. allies In Washington, there’s a strong bipartisan consensus that the U.S. must prevail in its economic and tech rivalry with China to maintain its global leadership.
—Ken Moritsugu, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025
To hand wash, fill up a basin with cool water, add detergent for delicates, and gently agitate before rinsing and squeezing out excess water.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2025
Their populations eventually agitate, sometimes violently, for freedom.
—Sarah Yager, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for agitate
Dictionary Entries Near agitate
Cite this Entry
“Agitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agitate. Accessed 29 Jan. 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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