agitar
verbCEFR B2
What does “agitar” mean in English?
to stir, to rouse
to stir, to rouse (agitar — disturb a calm state; evoke emotion or debate)
Example sentences
El discurso del candidato agitó las emociones del público y revivió un debate que parecía cerrado.
The candidate's speech stirred up the audience's emotions and revived a debate that had seemed closed.
Las aguas se agitaron a medida que el viento aumentaba de intensidad en el estrecho.
The waters grew choppy as the wind intensified in the strait.
El activista lleva décadas agitando la conciencia pública sobre los derechos indígenas.
The activist has been stirring public conscience about indigenous rights for decades.
How to use it
Agitar means 'to agitate', 'to shake', or 'to stir up'. Literal: agitar la botella antes de usar (shake the bottle). Figurative at B2: agitar las emociones del público (stir up emotions), agitar el debate (stir up debate). The reflexive agitarse means to become agitated or disturbed: el mar se agitó (the sea became choppy); la muchedumbre se agitó (the crowd grew restless). Contrast remover (to stir a physical mixture — e.g. coffee, soup) and despertar (to awaken something dormant).
Common mistake
Agitar (stir up / shake) vs. remover (stir a liquid or mixture) — use remover for coffee, soup, and soil; agitar for shaking containers and for figurative stirring of emotions or debates. Agitarse can describe the sea, a crowd, or a person becoming unsettled — context makes the sense clear.