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

Late November through May is the dry season there, which means fewer rains to stir up the water—leaving it with some of the clearest visibility for snorkeling and diving all year. —Annie Daly, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026

But a federal megaproject may stir up even more trouble. —Patrick Sisson, Scientific American, 9 Mar. 2026

Aside from stirring up sediment during the installation, there appears to be little danger to the environment. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026

Anything that stirs up your emotions, positive or negative, is best to avoid. —Clare Marie Schneider, NPR, 7 Mar. 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