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

See Season 7 schedule McDonald's Snack Wraps are officially coming back: Here's when Huge 400-pound alligator captured in North Carolina on 'suspicion of being a dinosaur' A new Lululemon dress is stirring up the internet. —James Powel, USA Today, 14 June 2025

Being in the very environment that motivated Brown as a child stirred up many thoughts, and feelings, all overwhelmingly positive. —Cierra Black, Essence, 11 June 2025

Because Lynda Ballou died in 2022, Jack Ballou said the news of the school closure stirred up some emotions. —Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 June 2025

The country clubs are hotbeds of anxiety, stirring up questions about who lost a job this month, whose bills are past due. —Dwyer Murphy june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stir up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup