ex ‧ cite ‧ ment S3 W3 /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ excitable , ↑ excited , ↑ exciting ≠ ↑ unexciting , ↑ excitable ; noun : ↑ excitement , ↑ excitability ; adverb : ↑ excitedly , ↑ excitingly ; verb : ↑ excite ]
1 . [uncountable] the feeling of being excited
excitement of
the excitement of becoming a parent
excitement at
The children were filled with excitement at the thought of visiting Disneyland.
in the excitement/in your excitement
In all the excitement, I left my wallet behind.
In his excitement he couldn't remember her name
2 . [countable] an exciting event or situation:
We were both new to the excitements of life in the big city.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ cause/generate excitement
The arrival of a stranger caused some excitement in the village.
▪ hide/conceal your excitement
He tried to hide his excitement, but his voice was shaking.
▪ control/contain your excitement
She could hardly control her excitement when I told her the news.
▪ be trembling with excitement (=to be shaking slightly because you are so excited)
Her hands were trembling with excitement as she opened the letter.
▪ somebody's excitement grows (=it increases)
Her excitement grew as the day of the wedding came nearer.
▪ the excitement wears off (=it gradually becomes less)
The initial excitement of my new job was starting to wear off.
▪ the excitement dies down (=people stop feeling excited)
The excitement after last month's elections is beginning to die down.
■ adjectives
▪ great/enormous/tremendous excitement
There is great excitement about the Pope's visit.
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The news causes tremendous excitement.
▪ growing/mounting excitement
The children waited with growing excitement.
▪ sheer excitement (=a very strong feeling of excitement)
Nothing can beat driving a racing car for sheer excitement.
▪ real/genuine excitement
A goal two minutes from the end provided the game's only genuine excitement.
▪ nervous/restless excitement (=a feeling of being worried and unable to relax)
My nervous excitement increased with each passing minute.
▪ intense excitement (=a very strong feeling of excitement)
I can still remember the intense excitement of going to see my first football match.
▪ heady excitement (=strong excitement about what you might achieve)
Back then, there was the heady excitement of discovering feminism and getting involved in politics.
▪ youthful/childlike excitement
Her voice was full of youthful excitement.
■ phrases
▪ be full of/filled with excitement
They were full of excitement at the thought of meeting a real movie star.
▪ a sense/feeling of excitement
He woke up that morning with a feeling of excitement.
▪ a state of excitement
It seemed that the whole country was in a state of excitement.
▪ an air of excitement (=a general feeling of excitement among a group of people)
There was a real air of excitement before the game.
▪ a surge/buzz of excitement (=a sudden feeling of excitement)
As soon as he noticed her name on the list, a surge of excitement ran through him.
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There is a buzz of excitement inside the stadium.
▪ a flurry of excitement (=an occasion when there is suddenly a lot of excitement about something)
The takeover bid has caused a flurry of excitement in the City.
▪ a ripple of excitement (=a feeling of excitement that spreads through a group of people)
A ripple of excitement went through the audience as the lights dimmed.
▪ a flicker of excitement (=a feeling of excitement that lasts a very short time )
He felt a flicker of excitement when he heard someone mention his name.