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

His brief encounter with the rare piece stirred up more questions than answers. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 19 Dec. 2025

Critics have said that the bill is unnecessary — religious law cannot trump secular law in America — and is designed to foment anti-Muslim sentiment and stir up hate towards Muslim neighbors. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025

This new research suggests that this planet, Fomalhaut b, is actually a dust cloud that was stirred up by the collision between planetesimals in the protoplanetary disk. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Dec. 2025

The feedback is immediate, and oral stories can spark spontaneous ideas that move listeners and stir up their resolve to act. —Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 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