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

The first full day of games in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament will also stir up the madness associated with March. —Greg Echlin, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025

On March 27, Venus retrograde slips back into Pisces — your 12th house of secrets, healing and unconscious patterns — stirring up some emotional baggage. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025

Flamingos often move in large groups while feeding, stirring up sediment to access algae, small invertebrates and other food sources more effectively. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

Just stir up the ingredients, briefly cook them on the stovetop, then let the mixture cool and roll into little balls. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 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