stir up

verb

stirred up; stirring up; stirs up

transitive verb

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 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

I'm not a rebel, trying to stir things up just to be provocative.

—Norma Klein

… the incident stirred up a hornet's nest of protest and indignation.

—Robert T. Martinott

Examples of stir up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Election seasons tend to stir up collective anxiety, amplified by relentless negative news cycles and uncertainty about the future. —Nicole Lipkin, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

During the broadcast, Gucci Third Leg made headlines with his candid remarks, stirring up both intrigue and outrage among viewers. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 16 Oct. 2024

He’s just published a new book called The Message that has stirred up quite a bit of controversy because the longest essay in it is about his trip to Palestine. —Sean Illing, Vox, 15 Oct. 2024

Chatbots have figured out how to stir up all sorts of emotions in people, for better or worse. —Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1