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 president’s oldest son has a new private club, which seems certain to make big money—and stir up controversy. —Dan Alexander, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

Martin has stirred up a chorus of critics during his brief but tumultuous tenure in office. —Michael Kunzelman, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025

The right song can even stir up some nostalgia and a few happy tears, and that’s perfectly OK. —Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 May 2025

Talking about Italy inevitably stirs up nostalgia for my family, my friends, and the sheer beauty of the place. —Orlando Taquechel, Miami Herald, 6 May 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