excite
gb/ɪksˈaɪt/ us/ɪksˈaɪt/
A2
English
~ 900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Cause enthusiasm or eagerness
To make someone feel very happy and want to do something.
Usage pattern:
to excite [someone] about [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'excite' with 'excited'. 'Excite' is the action, 'excited' is the feeling.
Synonyms
thrill (Often implies a more intense or sudden feeling of excitement.)
|
stimulate (Can sound slightly more formal and may refer to mental excitement.)
Antonyms
bore (Means to cause someone to lose interest.)
|
disappoint (Means to fail to meet expectations and reduce enthusiasm.)
Collocations
excite interest
|excite curiosity
|excite the crowd
|excite passion
Themes
emotions
|communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The news of the trip excited the children.
- Her new book is sure to excite readers around the world.
- The coach’s speech excited the team before the match.
Learner examples
- The party will excite the kids.
- This movie will excite you.
- The teacher’s story excited the students.
Verb
technical
B2
action
2
Increase activity in a system
In science, to give more energy to something like an atom or particle so it becomes more active.
Usage pattern:
to excite [particles/atoms/system]
Synonyms
energize (Common in technical contexts, meaning to give energy to a system.)
Antonyms
deactivate (Means to make something stop working or reduce its activity.)
Collocations
excite electrons
|excite molecules
|excite the atom
Themes
science
|physics
|chemistry
|technology
Examples
- The laser excites the atoms to a higher energy state.
- Light of a specific wavelength can excite electrons in the material.
- The experiment aims to excite molecules using microwave radiation.
Learner examples
- The light excites the atom.
- We can excite the electrons with heat.
- The machine excites the particles.
Verb
B2
action
3
Cause nervousness or agitation
To make someone feel nervous or unable to stay calm.
Usage pattern:
to excite [someone] into [action/state]
Synonyms
agitate (Implies causing restlessness or nervous disturbance.)
Antonyms
calm (Means to make someone relaxed and less agitated.)
Collocations
excite anger
|excite suspicion
|excite unrest
Themes
emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The loud noises excited the animals.
- Rumors of layoffs excited fear among employees.
- The protest speech excited the crowd into shouting.
Learner examples
- The noise excited the dog.
- Bad news excited the people.
- His words excited anger in her.
Grammar
Dictionary form
excite
IPA
GB/ɪksˈaɪt/
US/ɪksˈaɪt/
Syllables & stress
ex - cite (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cite)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: excite
- 3rd Person Singular: excites
- Present Participle: exciting
- Past: excited
Word family
Forms
Core family
excitement
noun A2
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
unexciting
adjective
unexcited
adjective
Advanced or less common
excitation
noun
excitability
noun
Expressions
excite interest
1/ɪksˈaɪt ˈɪntɚˌɛst/
fixed phrase
Make people interested
To make people want to know more about something.
Examples
- The ad was designed to excite interest in the product.
- Her talk excited interest among students.
excited about
1/ɪksˈaɪtɪd əbˈaʊt/
fixed phrase
Feeling happy due to event
Feeling very happy because something good is happening or will happen.
Examples
- She’s excited about her new job.
- They were excited about going on vacation.
get excited
1/ɡˈɛt ɪksˈaɪtɪd/
fixed phrase
Become happy or eager
To start feeling very happy and want to do something.
Examples
- I always get excited before my birthday.
- Don’t get too excited; we still have work to do.