From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Agitate \Ag"i*tate\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Agitated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Agitating}.] [L. agitatus, p. p. of agitare to put in motion, fr. agere to move: cf. F. agiter. See {Act}, {Agent}.]
1. To move with a violent, irregular action; as, the wind agitates the sea; to agitate water in a vessel. ''Winds . . . agitate the air.'' --Cowper.
2. To move or actuate. [R.] --Thomson.
3. To stir up; to disturb or excite; to perturb; as, he was greatly agitated.
The mind of man is agitated by various passions. --Johnson.
4. To discuss with great earnestness; to debate; as, a controversy hotly agitated. --Boyle.
5. To revolve in the mind, or view in all its aspects; to contrive busily; to devise; to plot; as, politicians agitate desperate designs.
Syn: To move; shake; excite; rouse; disturb; distract; revolve; discuss; debate; canvass.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
verb
1: try to stir up public opinion [syn: {foment}, {stir up}]
2: cause to be agitated, excited, or roused; "The speaker charged up the crowd with his inflammatory remarks" [syn: {rouse}, {turn on}, {charge}, {commove}, {excite}, {charge up}] [ant: {calm}]
3: exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for; "The liberal party pushed for reforms"; "She is crusading for women's rights"; "The Dean is pushing for his favorite candidate" [syn: {crusade}, {fight}, {press}, {campaign}, {push}]
4: move very slightly; "He shifted in his seat" [syn: {stir}, {shift}, {budge}]
5: move or cause to move back and forth; "The chemist shook the flask vigorously"; "My hands were shaking" [syn: {shake}]
6: change the arrangement or position of [syn: {vex}, {disturb}, {commove}, {shake up}, {stir up}, {raise up}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
120 Moby Thesaurus words for "agitate": actuate, afflict, air, argue, arouse, assail, attack, beat, beat up, blow the coals, bother, bounce, broach, bug, burden, campaign, canvass, churn, churn up, concern, concuss, consider, convulse, debate, disarrange, discept, discombobulate, discomfit, discomfort, discompose, disconcert, dispute, disquiet, distract, distress, disturb, drive, electrify, embroil, exasperate, excite, fan, fan the flame, feed the fire, ferment, fire, flurry, fluster, flutter, foment, frazzle, fret, fuss, give concern, heat, heat up, impassion, impel, incense, incite, inflame, instigate, irritate, jar, joggle, jolt, jounce, load with care, moot, move, nettle, paddle, peeve, perturb, perturbate, pique, press, promote, provoke, psych, push, put to it, put up to, rally, rattle, rile, ripple, rock, roil, roughen, rouse, ruffle, rumple, set on, shake, shake up, shock, sic on, spook, stagger, stir, stir the embers, stir up, swirl, thrash out, throw, throw into confusion, tickle, trouble, unhinge, unnerve, unsettle, untune, upset, ventilate, whet, whip, whip up, whisk, work up
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