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 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

The moon’s clash with Mercury stirs up morning anxieties. —Usa Today, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025

At 14, Pari Singh made just enough money to stir up an existential crisis. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025

Each of those seasons sparked conversations around sensational portrayals of murder victims, and Ed Gein has also been stirring up some debate. —Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025

Experts share how to talk to your teen about their costume without stirring up drama. —Kara Nesvig, Parents, 7 Oct. 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