stir up
verb
stirred up; stirring up; stirs up
1
: to cause (someone) to feel a strong emotion and a desire to do something
The speech stirred up the crowd.
2
: to cause (something) to move up into and through the air or water
The workers stirred up a lot of dust.
3
: to disturb the quiet of : agitate
a bear stirring up the bees
4
: to cause (something, usually something bad or unpleasant) to happen
They're trying to stir up trouble.
But, of course, there's a reason politicians generally try to communicate deliberately: It helps them avoid saying things that might offend voters or stir up controversy.—
Philip Bump
Philip BumpI'm not a rebel, trying to stir things up just to be provocative.—Norma Klein
Norma Klein… the incident stirred up a hornet's nest of protest and indignation.—Robert T. Martinott
Robert T. MartinottExamples of stir up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Spar Fire stirs up painful memories of the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, serving as another sobering lesson of wildfire's dangers.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 22 May 2026
The result was a work that never managed to find a coherent point-of-view, which didn’t prevent it from taking in a decent $7 million at the local box office, or from stirring up controversy.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
Today could stir up deep thoughts around trust, intimacy, finances or emotional entanglements that have become mentally exhausting.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
The reports of a secret base stirred up a furor in Iraq.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stir up
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Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 22 May 2026
The result was a work that never managed to find a coherent point-of-view, which didn’t prevent it from taking in a decent $7 million at the local box office, or from stirring up controversy.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
Today could stir up deep thoughts around trust, intimacy, finances or emotional entanglements that have become mentally exhausting.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
The reports of a secret base stirred up a furor in Iraq.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stir up
Cite this Entry
“Stir up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stir%20up. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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