INDEX:
1. feeling excited about something
2. too excited
3. to make someone feel excited
4. exciting
5. the most exciting part of something
6. the feeling of being excited
7. an exciting experience
8. to do something just for excitement
9. to make someone feel sexually excited
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ ENERGETIC
↑ ENJOY
↑ ENTHUSIASTIC/UNENTHUSIASTIC
◆◆◆
1. feeling excited about something
▷ excited /ɪkˈsaɪtɪd, ɪkˈsaɪtəd/ [adjective]
feeling happy and full of energy, especially about something good that has happened or is going to happen :
▪ Steve’s coming home tomorrow - we’re all really excited.
▪ crowds of excited football fans
excited about
▪ How can you be so excited about a stupid computer game?
get excited
▪ When Mattie gets excited, she starts talking really fast.
excited by
▪ Doctors are very excited by the discovery.
excited to do something
▪ When we get home, the dogs are always excited to see us.
HINT : Be careful not to confuse excited (=used about how someone feels) and exciting (=used about things or situations that make you feel excited).
▷ look forward to /lʊk ˈfɔːʳˈwəʳd tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to feel excited about something good that is going to happen and to think about it a lot :
▪ The kids are looking forward to their vacation - they’ve never been to California before.
look forward to doing something
▪ She’s really looking forward to meeting him.
▷ can’t wait /ˌkɑːnt ˈweɪtǁˌkænt-/ [verb phrase] spoken
if you can’t wait for something to happen, you want it to happen soon because you are very excited about it :
▪ ‘We’ll see you next week.’ ‘I know - I can’t wait!’
can’t wait for
▪ The kids can’t wait for Christmas.
can’t wait to do something
▪ He couldn’t wait to get home and tell Dean the news.
can’t wait for somebody/something to do something
▪ I can’t wait for the football season to start.
▷ thrilled /θrɪld/ [adjective not before noun]
very excited , happy, and pleased :
thrilled to do something
▪ I’m thrilled to be here tonight.
thrilled with
▪ Chester’s absolutely thrilled with his baby daughter.
thrilled at/by
▪ She was thrilled at the idea of flying to Europe.
thrilled to bits British spoken thrilled to death/pieces American spoken
very thrilled
▪ Paul is thrilled to death that I’m finally learning to cook.
▷ exhilarated /ɪgˈzɪləreɪtɪd, ɪgˈzɪləreɪtəd/ [adjective not before noun]
feeling very excited and full of energy because you are experiencing something that you have never experienced before, especially something dangerous or unusual :
▪ The first time I flew a plane alone, I felt both exhilarated and scared.
exhilarated by
▪ She felt exhilarated by her new sense of power.
▷ be pumped (up) /biː ˌpʌmpt (ʌp)/ [verb phrase] American informal
to be excited and full of energy, especially when this makes you ready to compete or play sport :
▪ After the coach’s pep talk, we were all really pumped and ready to play.
get somebody pumped (up)
make some excited and full of energy
▪ Nothing gets the crowd or the players pumped up more than a good slam dunk.
▷ be buzzing (with excitement) /biː ˌbʌzɪŋ (wɪð ɪkˈsaɪtmənt)/ [verb phrase]
if a place is buzzing with excitement, people are very excited, especially because something is about to happen :
▪ The crowd was buzzing as everyone waited for the band to come on stage.
▪ The new stadium has sports fans buzzing with excitement.
▷ be on the edge of your seat /biː ɒn ði ˌedʒ əv jɔːʳ ˈsiːt/ [verb phrase]
to be excited and slightly nervous when you are watching something because you do not know what will happen next :
▪ I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning of the movie to the end.
keep somebody on the edge of their seat
make someone very excited because they do not know what will happen next
▪ The final ten minutes of the game kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
▷ be on tenterhooks /biː ɒn ˈtentəʳhʊks/ [verb phrase]
to be nervous and excited because you are anxiously waiting to hear the result of something, or to know what happens at the end of a story :
▪ After the interview Fran was on tenterhooks, wondering if she’d got the job.
keep somebody on tenterhooks
make someone feel nervous and excited by not telling them something
▪ Agatha Christie keeps the reader on tenterhooks until the final pages of the story.
▷ be at/reach fever pitch /biː ət, riːtʃ ˈfiːvəʳ pɪtʃ/ [verb phrase]
if the feeling among a large group of people is at or reaches fever pitch, they are all extremely excited :
▪ The anticipation surrounding the band’s arrival is now at fever pitch.
2. too excited
▷ overexcited /ˌəʊvərɪkˈsaɪtɪd◂, ˌəʊvərɪkˈsaɪtəd◂/ [adjective]
someone, especially a child, who is overexcited has become too excited to behave calmly :
▪ The kids are getting overexcited and won’t go to sleep.
▪ ‘Does it bite?’ asked one of an overexcited group of boys.
▷ hysterical /hɪˈsterɪk ə l/ [adjective]
unable to stop shouting, crying etc because you are extremely excited :
▪ Hysterical fans tried to stop Damon’s car at the airport.
▪ He got a hysterical phone call from his mother in the middle of the night.
get/go hysterical
become hysterical
▪ The crowd went hysterical as Juventus scored in the last minute of the game.
▷ in a frenzy /ɪn ə ˈfrenzi/ [adjective phrase]
in a state of great and uncontrollable excitement :
▪ There are just two minutes to go of this game, and the crowd is in an absolute frenzy.
work yourself into a frenzy
become more and more excited until you are in a frenzy
▪ Supporters of Hodge have worked themselves into a frenzy over the latest polls.
▷ excitable /ɪkˈsaɪtəb ə l/ [adjective]
someone who is excitable gets excited too easily :
▪ Puppies are naturally affectionate and excitable.
highly excitable
very excitable
▪ On my first day’s teaching, I had a class of highly excitable 5-year-olds.
▷ hyper /ˈhaɪpəʳ/ [adjective] spoken
too excited and too full of energy, so that you do not feel comfortable :
▪ The kids are really hyper today - I think I’m going to send them outside.
get hyper
▪ Sometimes he gets so hyper you can’t talk to him.
3. to make someone feel excited
▷ excite /ɪkˈsaɪt/ [] especially written
to make someone feel excited :
▪ Being part of the crowd at a ball game had always excited me.
▪ She was at a point in her life where her work didn’t really excite her anymore.
▷ get somebody excited /ˌget somebody ɪkˈsaɪtə̇d/ [verb phrase not in passive] informal
to make someone excited :
▪ We’ve chosen some fairly controversial topics to try to get the students excited.
get somebody excited about something
▪ Looking through all those cook books has gotten me excited about cooking again.
▷ thrill /θrɪl/ [transitive verb not usually in progressive] especially written
to make someone feel very happy and excited :
▪ Her first sight of the African landscape thrilled her enormously.
it thrills somebody to do something
▪ It thrilled Sara to learn that the visitor was a member of the Royal Family.
▷ give somebody a thrill /ˌgɪv somebody ə ˈθrɪl/ [verb phrase]
if something gives someone a thrill, it makes them feel happy and excited, although it is very simple or may seem unimportant :
▪ Catching small animals used to give the boys a thrill.
▪ It gives me a thrill to see kids that I have taught succeed in life.
▷ get the adrenaline going/flowing/pumping /get ðiː əˈdren ə l-ɪn ˌgəʊɪŋ, ˌfləʊɪŋ, ˌpʌmpɪŋ/ [verb phrase]
to make you feel nervously excited and full of energy. Adrenaline is a chemical produced in your body that makes your heart beat faster when you are afraid or excited :
▪ Performing for the President really gets your adrenaline going.
▪ At the end of a long race, it’s the sight of the finish line that gets the old adrenaline pumping.
4. exciting
▷ exciting /ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/ [adjective]
making you feel excited :
▪ You’re going to India? How exciting!
▪ I’ve got some exciting news for you.
▪ Hockey is a fast, exciting game to watch.
find something exciting
▪ Stuart found life in Paris exciting.
HINT : Be careful not to confuse exciting (=used about things or situations that make you feel excited) and excited (=used about how someone feels) The movie was very exciting . | We were all excited .
▷ thrilling /ˈθrɪlɪŋ/ [adjective]
making you feel very excited and slightly nervous :
▪ The helicopter trip over the mountains was a thrilling end to a fantastic holiday.
▪ In a thrilling victory over Arizona, Bailey scored four straight points.
▷ gripping /ˈgrɪpɪŋ/ [adjective]
use this about books or films that are so exciting that you cannot stop reading or watching them :
▪ a gripping detective story
▪ The author describes in gripping detail the accident on the icy highway.
▷ exhilarating /ɪgˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/ [adjective]
an exhilarating experience or activity makes you feel excited and full of energy :
▪ Learning to surf is exhausting but exhilarating.
▪ I still remember the exhilarating freedom of driving my first car.
▷ dramatic /drəˈmætɪk/ [adjective]
a dramatic part of a story, film etc has a lot of exciting and unexpected things happening in it :
▪ The movie starts with a dramatic car chase across the desert.
▪ ‘Voice of the Heart’ is a dramatic story of two women that sweeps from New York to Europe and back again.
▷ nailbiting /ˈneɪlˌbaɪtɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
extremely exciting because you do not know what is going to happen next :
▪ The movie’s rescue scene makes a nice nailbiting finish.
▪ The Minutemen managed another nailbiting win to remain undefeated.
▷ action-packed /ˌækʃ ə n ˈpækt◂/ [adjective usually before noun]
an action-packed film, book etc has a lot of exciting action in it :
▪ Kids will love this action-packed adventure movie.
▪ The book has an action-packed plot dealing with life during the Civil War.
▷ heady /ˈhedi/ [adjective only before noun] formal
heady days/atmosphere/excitement etc
a time, feeling etc that makes you feel very excited, hopeful, and full of energy :
▪ the heady excitement of being in love
▪ He often wished he could relive the heady days of his youth.
5. the most exciting part of something
▷ climax /ˈklaɪmæks/ [countable noun]
the most exciting or important part of a story or event, usually near the end :
climax of
▪ A parade through the streets marks the climax of the festival.
reach a climax
▪ The opera reaches its climax with Violetta’s death in the third act.
▷ high point/spot /ˈhaɪ pɔɪnt, spɒtǁ-spɑːt/ [countable noun]
the most exciting, enjoyable, or important moment of an event or activity, especially one that continues for a long time :
high point/spot of
▪ For Amelia, a high point of the trip was riding with her father on a Ferris wheel.
▪ The 1972 election was the high spot of her political career.
▷ highlight /ˈhaɪlaɪt/ [countable noun]
the part of an event or activity such as a holiday or a game that is the most exciting or enjoyable, and that you remember most clearly :
highlight of
▪ Highlights of the ball game will be shown later.
▪ A highlight of most Alaska cruises is a day spent among the glaciers.
6. the feeling of being excited
▷ excitement /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/ [uncountable noun]
▪ If you’re looking for excitement, you won’t find it here.
excitement of
▪ He missed the excitement of working with so many intelligent people.
in/with excitement
in an excited way
▪ In the stands, the crowd was shouting with excitement.
great/tremendous excitement
▪ There’s an atmosphere of tremendous excitement here in the stadium.
▷ thrill /θrɪl/ [countable noun usually singular]
a sudden very strong feeling of excitement, mixed with pleasure and sometimes fear :
thrill of
▪ Most of the researchers are motivated by the simple thrill of discovery.
get a thrill out of something
▪ Even though I’ve been acting for 40 years, I still get a thrill out of going on stage on opening night.
give somebody a thrill
▪ Using a gun always gave me a strange thrill.
▷ exhilaration /ɪgˌzɪləˈreɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
a feeling of happy excitement, for example that you get from an exciting physical activity or from something you have achieved :
▪ She was filled with exhilaration when she first saw her newborn baby.
exhilaration of
▪ Nothing can compare with the exhilaration of riding a motorcycle as fast as you can.
▷ high spirits /ˌhaɪ ˈspɪrə̇ts/ [plural noun]
excited and cheerful feelings or behaviour, especially of a group of young people :
▪ They didn’t mean to cause any damage - it was just high spirits.
in high spirits
▪ It was the last day of term and everyone was in high spirits.
▷ hysteria /hɪˈstɪ ə riəǁ-ˈsteriə/ [uncountable noun]
extreme excitement that makes people cry, laugh, shout etc uncontrollably :
▪ The hysteria of the screaming girls was somewhat frightening.
mass hysteria
hysteria in a crowd of people
▪ The pushing and grabbing at yesterday’s sales bordered on mass hysteria.
▷ fever /ˈfiːvəʳ/ [singular noun]
when a lot of people are very excited about a particular thing :
World Cup/Harry Potter/election etc fever
▪ For a few months after its introduction, lottery fever swept the nation.
▪ Football fever has always been widespread in Thailand, but this year perhaps more than ever before.
7. an exciting experience
▷ thrill /θrɪl/ [countable noun usually singular]
an event or experience that gives you a feeling of excitement and pleasure :
▪ Flying is still a tremendous thrill for me.
the thrills and spills/chills
the exciting experiences, moments etc in a film, race etc
▪ Don’t miss all the thrills and spills of Formula 1 Grand Prix racing on Channel 26!
▷ adventure /ədˈventʃəʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
an exciting experience in which something dangerous or unusual happens :
▪ He always used to tell us about his adventures at sea.
sense/spirit of adventure
a desire to do unusual or dangerous things
▪ All right, I’ll go without you - you guys have no sense of adventure at all!
▷ excitement /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/ [countable noun]
something unexpected or unusual that happens and makes you feel excited and unable to relax :
▪ Gerry found it difficult to sleep after all the excitements of the day.
▪ The biggest excitement of the day was when Joe accidentally set off the fire alarm.
▷ blast /blɑːstǁblæst/ [countable noun] American informal
an exciting experience that you enjoy very much :
▪ You should try water-skiing - it’s a blast.
have a blast
▪ Thanks for taking us camping - Miranda had a blast!
8. to do something just for excitement
▷ do something for kicks /ˌduː something fəʳ ˈkɪks/ [verb phrase]
to do something, especially something dangerous or harmful, in order to get a feeling of excitement and not for any other reason :
▪ He was a nasty man who mistreated people for kicks.
just for kicks
▪ He says he started stealing just for kicks, not because he didn’t have the money.
▷ do something for the thrill of it /ˌduː something fəʳ ðə ˈθrɪl əv ɪt/ [verb phrase]
to do something just to get a feeling of excitement or because you are bored, and not for any more serious reason :
▪ Gina would gamble away thousands of dollars in casinos just for the thrill of it.
▪ Sometimes I walk very close to the edge of the cliffs for the thrill of it.
9. to make someone feel sexually excited
▷ excite /ɪkˈsaɪt/ [transitive verb]
▪ She excites me in a way that no other woman can.
get somebody excited
make them excited
▪ Some of those Internet chat rooms can get you pretty excited.
exciting [adjective]
▪ I suppose some men might find pictures like this sexually exciting.
▷ turn somebody on /ˌtɜːʳn somebody ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal
to make someone feel sexually excited :
▪ It’s difficult telling your partner what actually turns you on.
▪ Men with long hair really turn me on.
turn-on [singular noun]
something that makes you sexually excited :
▪ My last boyfriend always found nurses’ uniforms a real turn-on.
▷ titillate /ˈtɪtɪleɪt, ˈtɪtəleɪt/ [transitive verb]
if pictures, stories etc in newspapers and books titillate people, they are deliberately intended to make people feel slightly sexually excited :
▪ Details of the sex scandal are being revealed just to titillate the public, not inform them.
titillation /ˌtɪtɪˈleɪʃ ə n, ˌtɪtəˈleɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ The play has been condemned as just an excuse for sexual titillation.
titillating [adjective]
▪ The titillating advertisements suggested more nudity than actually was in the film.