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 sun in Cancer brings your relationships into focus, highlighting your emotional needs within a partnership, while Neptune in Aries stirs up desires for change and independence in your home and family life. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 23 June 2025

One notable host left Hurts off of it entirely, which stirred up a major conversation on Tuesday. —Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025

That level of closeness, according to Herring, can stir up a lot of fear and anxiety. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 11 June 2025

Whether a millennial is promoted into a supervisory role or a startup has a Gen Z team lead directing seasoned professionals, reverse-age dynamics can stir up a mix of assumptions, expectations and unspoken tension. —Marie Unger, Forbes.com, 10 June 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