agitate

to stir up or drive into motion

Root

ag / act: do, drive, or set in motion

Other words with the ag / act root

act: to do something
action: the act or process of doing something
agency: ability to act or an organization
agenda: a list of things to be done
agent: a person or thing that acts
castigate: to criticize or punish severely
castigation: severe criticism or punishment

Agitate drives a person or situation into motion: calm gets shaken into action.

The rumor agitated the crowd before anyone checked the facts.

Agitate can be physical, emotional, or political. The shared image is motion being stirred up: water churns, a person grows restless, a group becomes unsettled.