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

Spinning blades get tangled in vegetation, stir up sediment, and simply scare away the fish researchers are trying to observe. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026

He was inspired by the true story of Freda and Greta Chaplin, who in the 1980s stirred up a media frenzy for harassing a truck driver, and for bizarrely mirroring each other. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026

Chesney has actively engaged the campus and community in effort to stir up interest in the moribund program and help increase attendance at the Rose Bowl. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026

People should also avoid stirring up sediment in shallow, warm water, and keep their heads above water when in hot springs. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 1 Sep. 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