Agitate

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Agitate \Ag"i*tate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Agitated}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Agitating}.] [L. agitatus, p. p. of agitare to put in
     motion, fr. agere to move: cf. F. agiter. See {Act},
     {Agent}.]
     1. To move with a violent, irregular action; as, the wind
        agitates the sea; to agitate water in a vessel. "Winds . .


        . agitate the air." --Cowper.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To move or actuate. [R.] --Thomson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To stir up; to disturb or excite; to perturb; as, he was
        greatly agitated.
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              The mind of man is agitated by various passions.
                                                    --Johnson.
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     4. To discuss with great earnestness; to debate; as, a
        controversy hotly agitated. --Boyle.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. To revolve in the mind, or view in all its aspects; to
        contrive busily; to devise; to plot; as, politicians
        agitate desperate designs.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: To move; shake; excite; rouse; disturb; distract;
          revolve; discuss; debate; canvass.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  agitate
       v 1: try to stir up public opinion [syn: {foment}, {stir up}]
       2: cause to be agitated, excited, or roused; "The speaker
          charged up the crowd with his inflammatory remarks" [syn:
          {rouse}, {turn on}, {charge}, {commove}, {excite}, {charge
          up}] [ant: {calm}]
       3: exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to
          gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or
          person; be an advocate for; "The liberal party pushed for
          reforms"; "She is crusading for women's rights"; "The Dean
          is pushing for his favorite candidate" [syn: {crusade}, {fight},
           {press}, {campaign}, {push}]
       4: move very slightly; "He shifted in his seat" [syn: {stir}, {shift},
           {budge}]
       5: move or cause to move back and forth; "The chemist shook the
          flask vigorously"; "My hands were shaking" [syn: {shake}]
       6: change the arrangement or position of [syn: {vex}, {disturb},
           {commove}, {shake up}, {stir up}, {raise up}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  120 Moby Thesaurus words for "agitate":
     actuate, afflict, air, argue, arouse, assail, attack, beat,
     beat up, blow the coals, bother, bounce, broach, bug, burden,
     campaign, canvass, churn, churn up, concern, concuss, consider,
     convulse, debate, disarrange, discept, discombobulate, discomfit,
     discomfort, discompose, disconcert, dispute, disquiet, distract,
     distress, disturb, drive, electrify, embroil, exasperate, excite,
     fan, fan the flame, feed the fire, ferment, fire, flurry, fluster,
     flutter, foment, frazzle, fret, fuss, give concern, heat, heat up,
     impassion, impel, incense, incite, inflame, instigate, irritate,
     jar, joggle, jolt, jounce, load with care, moot, move, nettle,
     paddle, peeve, perturb, perturbate, pique, press, promote, provoke,
     psych, push, put to it, put up to, rally, rattle, rile, ripple,
     rock, roil, roughen, rouse, ruffle, rumple, set on, shake,
     shake up, shock, sic on, spook, stagger, stir, stir the embers,
     stir up, swirl, thrash out, throw, throw into confusion, tickle,
     trouble, unhinge, unnerve, unsettle, untune, upset, ventilate,
     whet, whip, whip up, whisk, work up