The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word AROUSE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
R
O
U
S
E
More clues leading to the result AROUSE
- Evoke a river — one in the northeast
- Spark: oxygen entering a device
- Wake up artist retired alongside the river
- Turn on Hospital department nursing sour criminal
- Stir in a little river meeting a great one
- Evoke a flower in Yorkshire
- Turn on American runner after start of race
- Stimulate a ploy to ensnare love
- Drinking party not about to wake up
- Turn on a river, one that’s great?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Stimulate" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case stimulate = arouse.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does AROUSE mean?
AROUSE verb- To stimulate feelings.
- To sexually stimulate.
- To wake from sleep or stupor.