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
There are internet trolls who don’t watch the WNBA, don’t care about women’s basketball and only engage with the sport to stir up culture war nonsense or demean female athletes.
—Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
King tides — the year’s highest tides, which climate change is making more frequent and severe — stir up sediment and reduce the light that reaches the seafloor.
—Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Sykes took to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday to address the incident after a video of him being struck by an object stirred up online.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Transmission to people generally happens when virus-laden rodent excreta gets stirred up in dust and inhaled—for example, a person sweeping out a shed or garage with a rodent infestation without a mask.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stir up
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Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
King tides — the year’s highest tides, which climate change is making more frequent and severe — stir up sediment and reduce the light that reaches the seafloor.
—Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Sykes took to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday to address the incident after a video of him being struck by an object stirred up online.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Transmission to people generally happens when virus-laden rodent excreta gets stirred up in dust and inhaled—for example, a person sweeping out a shed or garage with a rodent infestation without a mask.
—ArsTechnica, 8 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 21 May. 2026.
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