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

Does Walt put some sort of aphrodisiac in the drinks to encourage hookups and stir up drama? —Erin Qualey, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026

Still, no interstate stirs up the imagination as much as America’s first American highway to be completely paved. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026

In 2016, workers cut down dozens of oaks trees on land managed by Justin to make room for new grape plantings, stirring up controversy. —Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026

But Garrett and Barsotti hope Caffe Lucca’s cheery interior stirs up sunny memories of long dinners over seafood and wine with friends or family. —Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 26 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