agitate

They are notorious goons, despised virtually everywhere for their ability to agitate, aggrieve and annoy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

The city also is looking at installing a 6- to 8-foot-tall fence along the river to address complaints that the passing bikers will agitate the dogs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2023

It appeared to agitate Cannon, who questioned the prosecution about why it was being brought up for the first time at the hearing.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2023

Ocelots and jaguars prowl the forest, and spider monkeys and black howlers agitate the canopy.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 11, 2023

To agitate him thus deeply, by a resistance he so abhorred, was cruel: to yield was out of the question.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

And this is kind of a shame, because the story agitates the brain far more than it does the stomach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025

Conversely, when researchers injected the rats with a substance that agitates the immune system, the inflammatory cytokine levels rapidly shot up.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024

Tinseltown, it seems, is in the midst of an AI boom — even as its creative class agitates for limits on how that technology gets deployed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2023

It’s work that agitates — even crowbars — its way into a heart.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2021

Anger agitates, while whistling melts a bee’s temper.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

The assailant still appears agitated, and the teacher, an older man, continues to stand between the two and shouts “stop” and “calm down” at the agitated student.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

We have agitated for paid parental leave, universal childcare, better public schools, child allowances, and other help for struggling parents.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

Wilby told the court he had hoped to continue their previous conversation about the constituent on the Tube, but claimed Creasy "became quite agitated" and that he was "quite shocked by her reaction".

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

After an agitated week, it felt like a proper, pleasant ending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

“Huge east-west waves undulated like agitated jello,” said Keith.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

“We do not know the answer, but we have seen them take this approach in other situations when agitating for change,” Moskow said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

As I resettled into the life I had so missed, I at first tried to avoid the agitating, distracting and intrusive pull of my phone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

His agitating and manipulation, which he would later concede was primarily staged, drove a wedge between Montag and the show’s star Lauren Conrad.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

Landlocked Ethiopia, home to around 130 million people and one of Africa’s strongest economies, has been agitating for sea access.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

Old Chao was blushing so furiously that he seemed to be swelling, his very blood cells agitating to escape.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen