stirred; stirring
1
a
: to cause an especially slight movement or change of position of
tied so tightly he could scarcely stir a finger
b
: to disturb the quiet of : agitate
—often used with up
the bear stirred up the bees
2
a
: to disturb the relative position of the particles or parts of especially by a continued circular movement
stirred the paint with a paddle
stir the fire
—often used with upstirred up mud from the lake bottom
b
: to mix by or as if by stirring
stir one's coffee
—often used with instir in the spices
4
: to bring into notice or debate : raise
—often used with up
stir up sensitive issues
1
a
: to make a slight movement
The leaves were barely stirring.
b
: to begin to move (as in rousing)
She heard him stirring in bed.
c
: to shift to another location : budge
haven't stirred since I arrived
2
: to begin to be active
The factory stirred to life.
3
: to be active or busy
Not a creature was stirring …—
Clement Moore
Clement Moore4
: to pass an implement through a substance with a circular movement
washed the spoon she was stirring with
5
: to be able to be stirred
Add water until the mixture stirs easily.
stirrer
noun
1
a
: a state of disturbance, agitation, or brisk activity
b
: widespread notice and discussion : impression
the book caused quite a stir
2
: a slight movement
3
: a stirring movement
Synonyms
Verb
Noun (1)
- ado
- alarums and excursions
- ballyhoo
- blather
- bluster
- bobbery
- bother
- bustle
- clatter
- clutter [chiefly dialect]
- coil
- commotion
- corroboree [Australian]
- disturbance
- do [chiefly dialect]
- foofaraw
- fun
- furor
- furore
- fuss
- helter-skelter
- hoo-ha
- hoo-hah
- hoopla
- hubble-bubble
- hubbub
- hullabaloo
- hurly
- hurly-burly
- hurricane
- hurry
- hurry-scurry
- hurry-skurry
- kerfuffle [chiefly British]
- moil
- pandemonium
- pother
- row
- ruckus
- ruction
- rumpus
- shindy
- splore [Scottish]
- squall
- stew
- storm
- to-do
- tumult
- turmoil
- uproar
- welter
- whirl
- williwaw
- zoo
Noun (2)
Examples of stir in a Sentence
Verb
The cake batter must be stirred for 10 minutes.
Stir one cup of sugar into the batter.
She was stirred from her sleep by the noise.
The breeze stirred the leaves on the tree.
We could see people stirring inside the shop.
A good book can stir the imagination.
Recent Examples on the WebBethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2024
For this, take equal parts sugar and pineapple juice and put it into a small pot over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 4 May 2024
Cook, stirring often, until very soft, about 8 minutes.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 3 May 2024
Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2024
Defeat could stir panic among Tory lawmakers and possibly prompt a push to replace Mr. Sunak.
—Stephen Castle, New York Times, 1 May 2024
Graphic photos stir doubts about Darren Rainey’s ‘accidental’ prison death
305-376-3672
Chuck Rabin, writing news stories for the Miami Herald for the past three decades, covers cops and crime.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024
The verse stirred fan speculation online about whether Drake would respond.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024
Add the garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
—Martina McBride, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2024
Alex Ritman, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024
The latter caused a stir last year with his divisive performance and subsequent cancellation of his Weekend 2 set, which outraged festival-goers and possibly deterred future attendance.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The animals at the Indianapolis Zoo will have to wait another 20 years for the next eclipse, but Monday’s spectacle caused a stir.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
On the first day of his life sentence, Rostov causes a stir by appearing at his usual table in the hotel’s top restaurant for dinner.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2024
Friends and foes of the EPA’s new car rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new EV-friendly restrictions are positively charging up some groups, while causing a stir among others.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2024
What's more, some voters dismiss language that might once have caused a stir.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Complaints were made to the state religious department, media reports said, and the scandal caused a national stir – drawing scorn from conservative politicians and prompting public apologies from the celebrities.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Over high heat, bring to rolling boil, one that cannot be stirred down, stir-ring constantly.
—Rita Nader Heikenfeld, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
Verb
Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally during cooking, until cauliflower is tender.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2024
For this, take equal parts sugar and pineapple juice and put it into a small pot over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 4 May 2024
Cook, stirring often, until very soft, about 8 minutes.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 3 May 2024
Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2024
Defeat could stir panic among Tory lawmakers and possibly prompt a push to replace Mr. Sunak.
—Stephen Castle, New York Times, 1 May 2024
Graphic photos stir doubts about Darren Rainey’s ‘accidental’ prison death
305-376-3672
Chuck Rabin, writing news stories for the Miami Herald for the past three decades, covers cops and crime.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024
The verse stirred fan speculation online about whether Drake would respond.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024
Add the garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
—Martina McBride, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2024
Noun
Back in 2008, a music video landed on YouTube — then still largely in its infancy and mostly dominated by amateur video footage — and caused a bit of a stir, amassing a cult following and 1 million views.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024
The latter caused a stir last year with his divisive performance and subsequent cancellation of his Weekend 2 set, which outraged festival-goers and possibly deterred future attendance.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The animals at the Indianapolis Zoo will have to wait another 20 years for the next eclipse, but Monday’s spectacle caused a stir.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
On the first day of his life sentence, Rostov causes a stir by appearing at his usual table in the hotel’s top restaurant for dinner.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2024
Friends and foes of the EPA’s new car rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new EV-friendly restrictions are positively charging up some groups, while causing a stir among others.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2024
What's more, some voters dismiss language that might once have caused a stir.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Complaints were made to the state religious department, media reports said, and the scandal caused a national stir – drawing scorn from conservative politicians and prompting public apologies from the celebrities.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Over high heat, bring to rolling boil, one that cannot be stirred down, stir-ring constantly.
—Rita Nader Heikenfeld, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stir
Cite this Entry
“Stir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stir. Accessed 7 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stir
1 of 2 verb
stirred; stirring
1
a
: to make or cause to make an especially small movement or change of position
the leaves were barely stirring
b
: to disturb the quiet of : agitate
the bear stirred up the bees
2
: to mix, dissolve, or make especially by a continued circular movement
stir the pudding
3
4
: to be active or busy
not a creature was stirring
stirrer
noun
stir
2 of 2 noun1
a
: a state of disturbance, upset, or action
b
: widespread notice and discussion : impression
2
: a small movement
3
: a stirring movement
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