agitate
AJ-ih-taytverbMeaning to stir up or shake; to make someone anxious or upset
Memory hook AGIT-ATE: SHAKE it all UP. Theo shakes the snow globe hard, and the snow swirls wildly inside. He agitates it.
The washing machine agitates the clothes to shake the dirt loose.
In context The long wait for news agitated the families in the hallway; they paced, checked their phones and asked for updates every few minutes.
Similar stir, shake, upset, disturb
Opposite calm, soothe, settle
From Latin agitare, “to drive about, to shake,” from agere, “to drive, to do.”