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

Atmospheric water harvesting is stirring up much interest in the AI industry, as the technology could provide an alternative source of water and reduce the industry’s environmental footprint. —Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026

Normally, the show tries to stir up scandal with a healthy helping of sound effects, but this week Briar, Mia, and Athena really are fighting. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026

His belief that factory and vocational careers are the only way forward seems to be what’s stirring up most of the controversy. —Benjamin Wolff, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Southeast and east winds just above the surface followed the Foothills’ slopes into the valley on Friday, temporarily stirring up the air and allowing some sun. —Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 21 Jan. 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