stirring

1 of 2

adjective

stir·​ring ˈstər-iŋ 

1

: active, bustling

2

: rousing, inspiring

a stirring speech

stirring

2 of 2

noun

: a beginning of motion or activity : movement

—often used in plural

the first stirrings of revolution

Synonyms

Adjective

• breathtaking
• charged
• electric
• electrifying
• exciting
• exhilarating
• exhilarative
• galvanic
• galvanizing
• hair-raising
• heart-stopping
• inspiring
• intoxicating
• kicky
• mind-bending
• mind-blowing
• mind-boggling
• rip-roaring
• rousing
• stimulating
• thrilling

Noun

• motion
• move
• movement
• shift
• shifting
• stir

Examples of stirring in a Sentence

Adjective

a stirring rendition of the national anthem

the message of brotherhood in Martin Luther King's stirring “I Have a Dream” speech still resonates today

Noun

I thought I detected a slight stirring of the leaves, and yet there wasn't a breath of wind.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Now Tennessee has staked a claim to the first No. 1 seed in program history with a stirring comeback, charging back from a nine-point deficit in the final 10 minutes. —Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 2 Mar. 2025

Two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman, who was found dead last week with his wife in New Mexico, received a stirring tribute from friend and collaborator Morgan Freeman. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2025

Noun

This evidence for the presence of liquid water on the ancient body from which Bennu formed provides a tantalizing possibility: the possibility that Bennu’s progenitor may have seen the first stirrings of life. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 29 Jan. 2025

But its early stirrings emerged in McKinley’s foreign policy and its philosophical underpinnings. —Robert W. Merry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stirring

• blurring
• flouring
• furring
• purring
• slurring
• spurring
• whirring
• averring
• concurring
• conferring
• deferring
• deterring

Kids Definition

stirring

adjective

stir·​ring

ˈstər-iŋ

: moving sense 3, inspiring

a stirring speech