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 disturb the quiet of : agitate

a bear stirring up the bees

4

: 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

Anything that could stir up the dust – such as vacuuming the carpet, sweeping the floor, even just tracking it in on their shoes – could stir up the dust again. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Others said the campaign had a darker side and stirred up fear of newcomers. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Ready or not, award season is upon us again, starting with the 2026 Emmy Awards—and with it, the red carpet looks that often stir up more chatter than the trophies. — Marci Robin, Allure, 14 Sep. 2026

After all, your celestial ruler is currently retrograde, stirring up your personal life, which can essentially ripple in your professional life. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026

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