The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Excite \Ex*cite"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Excited; p. pr. & vb.
   n. exciting.] [L. excitare; ex out + citare to move
   rapidly, to rouse: cf. OF. esciter, exciter, F. exciter. See
   Cite.]
   1. To call to activity in any way; to rouse to feeling; to
      kindle to passionate emotion; to stir up to combined or
      general activity; as, to excite a person, the spirits, the
      passions; to excite a mutiny or insurrection; to excite
      heat by friction.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Physiol.) To call forth or increase the vital activity of
      an organism, or any of its parts.

   3. (Elec.) To energize (an electro-magnet); to produce a
      magnetic field in; as, to excite a dynamo.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   4. (Physics) To raise to a higher energy level; -- used
      especially of atoms or molecules, or of electrons within
      atoms or molecules; as, absorption of a photon excites the
      cesium atom, which subsequently radiates the excess
      energy.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

   Syn: To incite; awaken; animate; rouse or arouse; stimulate;
        inflame; irritate; provoke.

   Usage: To Excite, Incite. When we excite we rouse into
          action feelings which were less strong; when we incite
          we spur on or urge forward to a specific act or end.
          Demosthenes excited the passions of the Athenians
          against Philip, and thus incited the whole nation to
          unite in the war against him. Antony, by his speech
          over the body of C[ae]sar, so excited the feelings of
          the populace, that Brutus and his companions were
          compelled to flee from Rome; many however, were
          incited to join their standard, not only by love of
          liberty, but hopes of plunder.
          [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

excite
    v 1: arouse or elicit a feeling
    2: act as a stimulant; "The book stimulated her imagination";
       "This play stimulates" [syn: stimulate, excite] [ant:
       dampen, stifle]
    3: stir feelings in; "stimulate my appetite"; "excite the
       audience"; "stir emotions" [syn: stimulate, excite,
       stir]
    4: cause to be agitated, excited, or roused; "The speaker
       charged up the crowd with his inflammatory remarks" [syn:
       agitate, rouse, turn on, charge, commove, excite,
       charge up] [ant: calm, calm down, lull, quiet,
       quieten, still, tranquilize, tranquillise,
       tranquillize]
    5: stimulate sexually; "This movie usually arouses the male
       audience" [syn: arouse, sex, excite, turn on, wind
       up]
    6: stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of; "These stories
       shook the community"; "the civil war shook the country" [syn:
       stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir]
    7: raise to a higher energy level; "excite the atoms" [syn:
       excite, energize, energise]
    8: produce a magnetic field in; "excite the neurons"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

146 Moby Thesaurus words for "excite":
   activate, affect the interest, agitate, anger, animate, annoy,
   arouse, attract, awake, awaken, beat, beat up, begin,
   blow the coals, blow up, bring about, call forth, call up, cause,
   churn, churn up, concern, convulse, cultivate, disarrange,
   discompose, disconcert, disquiet, disturb, effect, electrify,
   elicit, energize, enkindle, enliven, enrage, excite interest, fan,
   fan the fire, fan the flame, fascinate, feed the fire, ferment,
   fire, fire up, flame, flurry, fluster, foment, frenzy, fret,
   galvanize, generate, get going, heat, heat up, hop up, ignite,
   impassion, incense, incite, inflame, infuriate, initiate, inspire,
   inspirit, instigate, interest, intrigue, invigorate, invite,
   involve in, key up, kindle, lather up, light the fuse, light up,
   madden, make sensitive, motivate, move, nettle, occasion,
   overexcite, paddle, perturb, perturbate, pique, prime, prod,
   provoke, put up to, quicken, rally, refine, rile, ripple, roil,
   roughen, rouse, ruffle, rumple, sensibilize, sensitize, set astir,
   set fire to, set in motion, set on, set on fire, shake, shake up,
   sharpen, sic on, spark, spur on, start, steam up, stimulate, stir,
   stir the blood, stir the embers, stir the feelings, stir up,
   summon up, swirl, tantalize, thrill, tickle, titillate, touch off,
   trouble, turn on, upset, urge, wake, wake up, waken, warm,
   warm the blood, whet, whip, whip up, whisk, wind up, work into,
   work up