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

After all, the tension between these planets can stir up emotional confrontations, magnetic attractions and psychological power plays. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025

Each year, the Grammy eligibility season stirs up some confusion online. —Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025

Already, the divestment news is stirring up some excitement on the Chinese internet, with some netizens wondering if Starbucks may join competitors Luckin Coffee and others in offering more affordable drink options. —John Liu, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025

Though their time on DWTS commenced nearly two decades ago, Julianne, who joined a season before Derek, remembered their playful competitiveness stirring up even further back. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 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