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agitate

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Agitate is defined as to annoy or frustrate someone.

(verb)

An example of the word agitate is when a brother purposely irritates his sister by taunting her.

The definition of agitate is to move something around in a forceful or violent movement.

(verb)

An example of agitate is what the spin cycle on the washing machine does to the laundry being washed.

See agitate in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb agitated, agitating

1. to move violently
2. to stir up or shake up
to excite or disturb the feelings of
to keep discussing so as to stir up interest in and support for

Origin: < L agitatus, pp. of agitare, to put in motion < agere, act

intransitive verb

to stir up interest and support through speeches and writing so as to produce changes: to agitate for better working conditions

See agitate in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb ag·i·tat·ed, ag·i·tat·ing, ag·i·tates

verb, transitive

To cause to move with violence or sudden force.
To upset; disturb: was agitated by the alarming news.
To arouse interest in (a cause, for example) by use of the written or spoken word; debate.

verb, intransitive

To stir up public interest in a cause: agitate for a tax reduction.

Origin:

Origin: Latin agitāre, agitāt-

Origin: , frequentative of agere, to drive, do; see ag- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

agˈi·tatˌed·ly (-tāˌtĭd-lē) adverb

agˈi·taˌtive adjective

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