1
2
as in to disturb
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
there's no need to agitate the patient about little things
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shake
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
set the washing machine so it will agitate for four minutes before going into the rinse cycle
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to discuss
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
a question which has been agitated by the legislature time and time again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agitate
Musselman, agitated, barked at referees on their way off the floor.
—
Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2025
Fill the bucket with water and carefully (with rubber dish gloves) submerge the stained garment in the water, agitating slightly.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2025
Astronauts will initiate the fermentation in space by adding water to the device, which will monitor the level of alcohol and mechanically agitate the mash to achieve successful fermentation.
—Akiko Katayama, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Neither country wants the burden of millions of desperate Gazans who will agitate to return home to Palestine.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agitate
Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2025
Fill the bucket with water and carefully (with rubber dish gloves) submerge the stained garment in the water, agitating slightly.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2025
Astronauts will initiate the fermentation in space by adding water to the device, which will monitor the level of alcohol and mechanically agitate the mash to achieve successful fermentation.
—Akiko Katayama, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Neither country wants the burden of millions of desperate Gazans who will agitate to return home to Palestine.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitate
Verb
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Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.—
Nicole Hopper,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2025
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Add the cheddar, ham and chives and stir with a fork to combine.—
Nicole Hvidsten,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This involved manually disturbing the leg and then releasing it, capturing the resulting oscillations on high-speed video.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2025
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What Is No-Till Gardening? Simply put, no-till is an approach to gardening that avoids disturbing soil in order to preserve its structure.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The United States Geological Survey reports that light shaking could be felt as far southeast as Bursa, which is approximately 97 miles south of Istanbul.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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On Tuesday, not so much, the Lakers showing their clear dominance in every area backed by a legendarily springtime loud home crowd that annually shakes, rattles and rolls.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Peace talks in London between the United States, Ukraine and other European countries to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war were downgraded after it was announced that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not attend.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
23 Apr. 2025
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These topics and more will continue to be discussed leading up to the draft.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow was popular enough that fans wanted a solo story, but the studio didn't bother to make it until her character was already dead in the major timeline, then skipped the theatrical release, which Johansson sued them about.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
19 Apr. 2025
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So much so that Gillaspie didn’t bother to even grab a towel last summer when a pitching coach yelled into the visiting showers to alert him that Triple-A El Paso manager Pete Zamora needed to see him.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Why could not the engineers simply have made the device vibrate and/or light up when locking the door?—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2025
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As news that Williams had been apprehended spread, Dahl’s phone started vibrating with texts from friends.—
Ronan Farrow,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The origins of the pandemic have been hotly debated since its start.—
Youri Benadjaoud,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
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Before the second tribal council, players in David's group debated between either voting out Cedrek McFadden or Shauhin Davari.—
Emily DeLetter,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Too often, however, the temptation to blame individuals or groups for housing ills distracts from the actual debate and prevents all stakeholders from discovering their mutual interests.—
Matt Frazier,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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The scientists now plan on developing the technology further, which will include boosting its ability to filter out distracting background noises such as those produced by body movements.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitate. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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