stirring

1 of 3

adjective

stir·​ring ˈstər-iŋ 

1

: active, bustling

2

: rousing entry 1, inspiring entry 1

a stirring speech

stirring

2 of 3

noun

: a beginning of motion or activity : movement

—often plural

the first stirrings of revolution

stirring

3 of 3

present participle of stir entry 1

Synonyms of stirring

Adjective

• breathtaking
• exciting
• interesting
• thrilling
• intriguing
• inspiring

Noun

• shifting
• movement
• move
• shift

Examples of stirring in a Sentence

Adjective

a stirring rendition of the national anthem

the message of brotherhood in Martin Luther King's stirring “I Have a Dream” speech still resonates today

Noun

I thought I detected a slight stirring of the leaves, and yet there wasn't a breath of wind.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Saturday’s game began with a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by violinist Demola. — Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026

Finding an instability that spins up vortexes along the edge of every magnetic element means finding a stirring mechanism where none was expected to exist. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026

Noun

More likely she was hooked by the subliminal stirrings and emotional undertow of the music. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

At the center of the story is Géo, a five-year-old boy discovering friendship, rivalry and the first stirrings of romance. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stirring

• blurring
• flouring
• furring
• purring
• slurring
• spurring
• whirring
• averring
• concurring
• conferring
• deburring
• deferring

Kids Definition

stirring

adjective

stir·​ring

ˈstər-iŋ

: moving sense 3, inspiring

a stirring speech