agitate

I suppose he could argue that Sarwar is an ally on his agenda to rewire how British politics works and can now agitate for change from within.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Torres captured the broader institutional despair bluntly when he admitted he lacked confidence in regulators but felt there was “no choice but to agitate for accountability.”

From Salon ● May 9, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

Extremes here agitate within sight of one another, often across a single property line, sometimes simply in the difference between what we have today and what we’re left with tomorrow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2023

After a decadent lunch of goose sandwiches and chocolate pudding, Emma began to agitate for the older kids to go swimming.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

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

That’s why worry agitates us, persistently or even relentlessly, because it exists to engage us in dealing with future uncertainties and working to make things turn out all right.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2023

“The sight of a wound or scar always agitates and sickens me,” she said.

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

Paramount and other groups, including cinema chain owners and some Hollywood unions, have agitated for a settlement to curtail months of uncertainty over whether the deal will go through.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

“I get a little agitated and the pace is really, really different.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The bison then repeatedly flops on its side in an agitated fashion before hopping to its feet.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

And when Elizebeth started appearing in the papers, the top brass got agitated.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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

Buck Turgidson, one of the film’s most memorable characters, while agitating the president in the war room for a first strike against the Soviet Union.

From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2026

The activists’ arrival, and CEO candidate, comes as Lululemon founder Chip Wilson had already been agitating for change and weighing in on the CEO search.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

Conversations about his goals implicitly involved an assessment of his prospects, which was agitating.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025

“Maybe I should”—Gat took my hands, turned them over to look at the words written on the backs—“I should live for today and not be agitating all the time.”

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart