[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

agitate \ag"itate\, v. t. 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.
      1913 webster

   2. to move or actuate. r. --thomson.
      1913 webster

   3. to stir up; to disturb or excite; to perturb; as, he was
      greatly agitated.
      1913 webster

            the mind of man is agitated by various passions.
                                                  --johnson.
      1913 webster

   4. to discuss with great earnestness; to debate; as, a
      controversy hotly agitated. --boyle.
      1913 webster

   5. to revolve in the mind, or view in all its aspects; to
      contrive busily; to devise; to plot; as, politicians
      agitate desperate designs.
      1913 webster

   syn: to move; shake; excite; rouse; disturb; distract;
        revolve; discuss; debate; canvass.
        1913 webster
see also:
agitated agitating act agent 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

agitate
     v 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
see also:
foment stir up rouse turn on charge commove 
excite charge up calm crusade fight 
press campaign push stir shift 
budge shake vex disturb shake up 
raise up 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

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

Agitate >> A Words
Agitate, definition of term: Agitate
agitate_pag1.html